Geagea: Hizbullah Not Ready for Dialogue, I'll Vote for Aoun if He Withdraws Hizbullah from Syria

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced Sunday that the LF will boycott Monday's national dialogue session because “Hizbullah is not ready for dialogue,” noting that he is willing to vote for Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun in the presidential election if he pledges to withdraw Hizbullah's fighters from Syria.

“We did not attend the 2012 dialogue sessions because we knew that Hizbullah was not serious about dialogue and that it would've been a waste of time ... In the past, the president used to be a mere moderator of dialogue, but today the president is practicing his constitutional powers and he has his say in things,” Geagea said in an interview on al-Jadeed television.

In response to a question, Geagea stressed that President Michel Suleiman is neither in the March 8 camp nor in the March 14 coalition.

And as he announced that the LF will boycott Monday's all-party talks, Geagea saluted Suleiman and pointed out that his party's stance was not related to the president but rather to Hizbullah's policies.

“I don't have a one percent hope that this dialogue could lead to results, regardless of our stance regarding the president,” said Geagea.

“At the moment, dialogue will not lead to any result and we heard (Hizbullah chief) Sayyed Hassan (Nasrallah) yesterday telling us, 'let no one think of the issue of arms,'” Geagea added.

“He is still stuck at the army-people-resistance formula,” he went on to say.

Turning to the issue of his nomination for the presidency, Geagea said: “There's no doubt that several difficulties prevent me from reaching the Baabda Palace but what prompted me to nominate myself are the incidents that occurred in the country over the past two years."

"Nominating yourself for the presidency is not a joke or a small decision, but I fully believe that we need a qualitative leap and drastic solutions. Only the state and the statesmen can rid us of the problems," the LF leader emphasized.

Asked about former Prime Minister Saad Hariri's stance over his nomination, Geagea said: “Hariri is silent over my decision to nominate myself because he is awaiting the right moment.”

“Everyone in March 14 hopes to see a March 14 figure being elected as president,” he underlined.

“The main reason behind my nomination is that I saw the ship sinking and we need a drastic solution,” said Geagea.

“I enjoy Christian and national representation and I see myself capable of addressing all issues,” he stated.

Asked whether he opposes Aoun's possible election as president, Geagea said: “If Michel Aoun says that he is with Hizbullah's withdrawal from Syria, I will be the first to vote for him.”

“Let Hizbullah say that it will withdraw from Syria and hand over its arms to the state once General Aoun is elected as president and I will seek to secure General Aoun's election as president,” added Geagea.

Commenting on Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh's nomination, Geagea said: “If MP Suleiman Franjieh manages to be elected as president without 'black or green shirts' and in a fully democratic manner, I will be the first to congratulate him.”

He was referring to the famous "black shirts" show of force, when black-clad unarmed members of Hizbullah roamed Beirut streets, in what was perceived as a message to MP Walid Jumblat aimed at dissuading him from voting for ex-PM Hariri for the premiership after the collapse of his coalition government.

“The student and syndical elections are indicative of our real representation of the majority of Christians,” Geagea noted, announcing that he does not support the election of a “consensual president.”

“Electing a consensual president means that the crisis will be prolonged for years to come and it means consensus between two camps that are the total opposite of each other,” he said.

“A consensual president means that Christians won't be represented in the presidency ... Suleiman was not the leader of a major Christian party and he came from a military background,” Geagea pointed out.

Responding to Nasrallah's remarks that resistance against Israel had never enjoyed consensus in Lebanon, Geagea said: “Had it not been for the consensus of the Lebanese since the 1990s over the resistance, Hizbullah would not have been able to liberate the South.”

In addition to Hizbullah and the LF, Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh, Lebanese Democratic Party leader MP Talal Arslan and Syrian Social National Party leader MP Asaad Hardan have officially announced their boycott of Monday's all-party talks in Baabda.

Earlier on Sunday, Suleiman expressed regret over the decision by several parties not to attend the all-party talks.

“I hope that the parties that decided to boycott the National Dialogue would participate in upcoming sessions,” Suleiman said.

“Let us continue discussions on the defense strategy to fortify the army's capabilities and put arms under the state's control,” he added. Suleiman also lauded the Baabda Declaration, saying: “It was adopted by the International community.”

Sources close to Suleiman told An Nahar newspaper in remarks published Sunday that “any decision to postpone the national dialogue session will be based on the stances of the parties.”

The rift increased recently between Suleiman and Hizbullah after the president described the so-called people-army-resistance formula as "wooden", or outdated, during a speech at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in February.

Suleiman's comments angered Hizbullah, which accused him of not being able to differentiate between “what's golden and what's wooden."

Nasrallah lashed out anew at Suleiman in a televised speech on Saturday without naming him.

“What is golden remains golden, even if someone changes their opinion about it and said it became wooden … Others' description of things does not change the reality of these things,” said Nasrallah.

“We insist more than any other group on holding the presidential elections at the earliest possible time; we even call for an early vote to establish a new phase, resume dialogue over a defense strategy and get the country out of its problems,” he added.