Geagea Says Will 'Withdraw Hizbullah from Syria' if Elected President
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced that he is a “natural” candidate for presidency, vowing to withdraw Hizbullah's forces from neighboring Syria if he was elected the next head of state.
"I am naturally a candidate for presidency since I am the head of the most popular Christian party in Lebanon according to polls,” Geagea said in an interview on Al-Arabiya television that aired on Wednesday.
"It is only natural that my name is in the discussed list of nominees, but I am waiting for the right moment to announce my candidacy.”
Geagea elaborated on his stance on the presidency: “Having a strong president in Lebanon is in everyone's interest. Such a leader that can restore the presidency's strength and glory, or else, the situation in Lebanon will remain the same, or even become worse. This is in not in any party's interest.”
He continued: “We need a president that has a clear political agenda, and of course I will withdraw Hizbullah's fighters from Syria if I become president.”
"We can do anything under the ceiling of the law and when we have a president that proposes things clearly, all factions will take his/her opinion into consideration. No one can ignore the president and the presidency's stances.”
"This is why many are exerting all efforts to prevent electing a strong president,” he considered.
The LF leader praised president Michel Suleiman's “stances and strength,” but considered that he "did not have the ability to act since he was a consensual head of state."
"He had to take the viewpoints of all parties into consideration,” Geagea said. “Any consensual president cannot have a political agenda, regardless of the strength of his personality.”
The Christian leader pointed out that there are around 10 votes in the parliament that can make the difference during the president's election.
"These are 10 centrist MPs and among them is (Progressive Socialist Party leader) MP Walid Jumblat's parliamentary bloc and the independent deputies of (the northern city of) Tripoli,” he detailed.
Asked about whether Jumblat would vote for him of for Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, Geagea said the Druze leader's decisions depend on many political considerations.
He also urged exerting all possible efforts to hold the presidential vote on time, rejecting any talks about vacuum.
Suleiman's six-year tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state began on March 25.
Separately, Geagea assured that his party is not allied with Hizbullah, as they hold opposing political stances.
"There is a huge gap between us and Hizbullah and if the party was able to bridge this gap by changing its ideology, of course we would not mind allying with it," he stated.
"Our stance has always been clear; we have to communicate with Hizbullah to reach the desired outcome and any dialogue's basis must be the constitution firstly, and secondly the laws," he explained.
"But until now, Hizbullah has not taken dialogue seriously, and we boycotted the national dialogue sessions in 2012 because of the party's attitude," he said.
On the Lebanese Forces' relations with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement, he pointed out that the alliance remains strong under March 14's umbrella, despite the occasional tensed atmospheres that prevail while debating certain issues.
Geagea reiterated that the turbulent situation in the northern city of Tripoli and the border town of Arsal is caused by Hizbullah's involvement in the Syrian war.
"The party dragged Lebanon into Syria's turmoil and this provoked faction in the opposition to launch operations on Lebanese towns,” he said.
26 March 2014, 17:52
1624
"I am naturally a candidate for presidency since I am the head of the most popular Christian party in Lebanon according to polls.”
The most "popular" Christian party with 5 MPs and none from the Christian heartland of Mount Lebanon. Most popular al, LOL.
26 March 2014, 17:55
2410
Dear Geagea,
You will be unable to withdraw honik chaghlé from Syria.
Hezbollah only answers to Iran and indirectly Bashar.
Hezbollah does not acknowledge the state of Lebanon, its sovereignty, it's institutions.
And as much as I hate the idea of Aoun being president, I cannot accept Geagea either.
The real question is who are the potential candidates today who can really make a change ?
26 March 2014, 18:10
2413
neither Geagea nor Aoun will be president as they are too polarized.
whoever is going to be president means nothing to me. same for who is in the cabinet or the parliament.
what does it benefit us, the people, who is in which seat?
if there was accountability, then it might matter, but as long as these guys are there just to enrich themselves, they do not matter.
26 March 2014, 18:11
03
I don't understand why everyone is so preoccupied with the Presidency elections, when a much more important question needs to be answered..
26 March 2014, 18:14
266
Well ...
I would like to point out some of your arguments :
- He is inadequate for his past : Almost all lebanese politicians are inadequate because of their history. in fact, no politicians over the age of 30 should remain in parliament today.
- Impartial : He's actual partial, not impartial. And having said this, we cannot have an impartial president. This means a weak president.
- Bad campaign because of wanting to pullout Hezbollah from Syria ? I would use this as the reason for his bad campaign. In fact, Hezbollah's pullout from Syria should be the plan of any president. Not only that, DISARMING hezbollah must be the next president's goal !
- Useless like an old newspaper : I would say the same about Hassan Nasrallah, Aoun, Berri, Jumblat, Hariri and co ...
26 March 2014, 19:11
246
Nasrallah doesn't belong to the old guard ?
Remind me what Nasrallah is ? A politician or cleric ?
Isn't he involved in terrorist acts in Lebanon and abroad ?
When there are thousands of deaths on his hand, why isn't he part of the bloody old guard ? Because he wears the fake name of Sayyed ? Or because he's a cleric ? or was that a polician ?
Hassan Nasrallah deserves nothing less but the death penalty... and i am against the death penalty !
26 March 2014, 18:27
00
Well, he keeps talking and all websites report his statements. So I don't think that's a Naharnet thing.
26 March 2014, 18:56
419
Nope no presidency for you dr geagea. Too many people don't like you
26 March 2014, 19:57
822
How do you think Christians view Samir Geagea after he allied himself and continues to openly support the FSA-Al Qaeda jihadist terrorists? How about went the nuns and priests were kidnapped by his jihadist allies in Syria, and he did not say anything? How about when his jihadist terrorist cannibal allies burn down the churches in Syria and take over Christian villages and tax their residents?
Do you think Lebanese Christians are blind? General Aoun has 27 MPs, while the LF and Kataeb have 10 MPs combined (lol). It's not even close, and you are a paid Saudi poodle.
26 March 2014, 20:55
204
Geagea Says Will 'Withdraw Hizbullah from Syria' if Elected President
Is he planing on becoming an Iranian Ayatollah withing the next few weeks?
26 March 2014, 21:29
514
"I will withdraw HA from Syria."
Mniha!
Bass enno kif? What's the plan?
Alo?
26 March 2014, 21:45
114
How about "ASSad" after he is defeated in Syria for the 7,582nd time next Wednesday?
27 March 2014, 01:03
151
Give Hizbollah one month to withdraw their forces from Syria. Any of the fighters failing to return home will have their Lebanese citizenship revoked by the state. They can then all take up residence and citizenship in Iran.
27 March 2014, 03:56
718
Dr. Arreet 7akeh can't even withdraw himself from his fort! 3an jad arreet 7akeh mkhashkhash
27 March 2014, 07:13
821
Seriously, is this guy smoking crack? Every time lady gaga speaks I feel im in front of a comedy show...and this criminal is seriously considering running for the presidency. Doesn't get better than that.
27 March 2014, 09:48
34
Just because he might be the most popular christian leader, that doesn't negate the fact that there are still too many people that don't like him. Furthermore, if the Lebanese Forces got a different leader (not any of the current administration) i'm sure they would win 85% + of the christian vote, but because dr geagea and his team are running it, it stops people from voting for them.
29 March 2014, 20:53
012
geagea the most popular christian leader? lol
you guys are really losing it, it's good to know.
27 March 2014, 16:59
11
Samir trust me the wisest thing u ll do is to sign a peace treaty wiz Israel and open the border and f....HA and Takfiris and all this garbage....and u ll see how our dear lubnan will b again like paradise ,now the question is are u enought powerful and courageous to do this step ?????? Just imagine the money and the financial situation after a peace treaty,think how much money the u.s Europe will invest in the area ,enough violence enough terror,t3ibna ya jama3a khalas.....let our children yinbistou bi halbalad7aram...and naharnet please there is no reason to delete my post thank u.
29 March 2014, 20:56
413
lol anonyme, you're missing an itsy bitsy detail:
lahd army was working for the invader, against lebanon
HA worked against the invader, for Lebanon.
the mere fact that you cannot see that humongous difference brings your allegiance into question.
29 March 2014, 20:57
012
there's no saving geagea from his fate. he made a pact with the devil, we all know where this leads.
29 March 2014, 21:03
012
geagea is a criminal and a disgusting character, but he knows his schemes, he's no idiot.
he certainly knows it is not doable, and he certainly knows that the only way to try to do it as president would be to order the army to confront HA. anyone here does not see where this leads?
a few clues for the room-temperature IQs (cedar, anonyme, half-wit et al., i'm looking at you):
extreme polarization of the country
divisions in the army, possibly mass desertions
and, if the army goes with his instructions (which i highly doubt, unless he gets rid of all the officers who were in the army during the civil war, and saw him executing officers with their families), war between the army and the resistance.
who benefits? certainly not lebanon (look south)
31 March 2014, 12:43
04
War criminal as president? This is a joke, Lebanon is a joke, and the Lebanese people: a collective joke.
