Gemayel Says March 14 Tacitly Adopted His Nomination: President Must 'Satisfy Hizbullah, Reassure Christians'

Kataeb Party leader Amin Gemayel on Wednesday announced that the March 14 camp had implicitly endorsed his presidential bid in its recent initiative, calling for the election of a president who would “satisfy Hizbullah, tackle extremism and reassure Christians.”

“The presidential vote is unfortunately being impeded by domestic parties, that's why we cannot speak of nominations while the parliament's doors are closed and quorum is obstructed,” Gemayel said during an interview on Future TV.

“The Lebanese, not others, must be held accountable, as they are the ones impeding quorum and shutting state institutions amid circumstances in which we critically need a president,” Gemayel added, noting that “this president must be an interlocutor” who would talk to all parties.

He accused Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and his alliance of blocking the parliamentary quorum needed for the election of the new president.

“My nomination was declared in Bkirki when the names of four candidates were announced. Everyone knows that my nomination has been on the table from the very beginning,” Gemayel said.

“How would my nomination be beneficial if the parliament is closed?” he added.

“Aoun is asking us to choose between agreeing on him and procrastination, but in the end the country must move forward according to a three-point solution that satisfies Hizbullah, tackles extremism and reassures Christians,” Gemayel went on to say.

Turning to the presidential initiative that was recently announced by the March 14 forces, Gemayel said: “My nomination can only happen through consensus and the issue is not a challenge.”

“During March 14's latest meeting, the parties agreed that if there is a window of opportunity to nominate Amin Gemayel he will be nominated, and this window of opportunity is the issue of quorum. (Former prime minister Fouad) Saniora then telephoned me and said the same thing,” Gemayel added.

The March 14 coalition had proposed an initiative around two weeks ago that calls for reaching consensus over a president between the rival camps.

Gemayel said the initiative must not be taken lightly because “March 14's statement is an openness statement and a reasonable statement if we want to reach a solution.”

Asked about remarks by al-Mustaqbal movement chief MP Saad Hariri who has recently called for consensus among Christian forces over a presidential candidate, Gemayel said: “These remarks are totally unacceptable, wherever they may come from, as the quorum is not only being impeded by the votes of General Aoun, who is part of a broader coalition.”

“This means this is not an inter-Christian conflict,” Gemayel underlined.

“There is a political conflict in the Lebanese arena that is bigger than the inter-Christian conflict,” he added.

Turning to the issue of Hizbullah's controversial arsenal of weapons, Gemayel said: “Our stance on weapons is clear but Hizbullah will not suddenly hand over its arms.”

“We will discuss this issue with it and we will say that the Lebanese state must be in charge of the decisions of war and peace. We'll also discuss its fighting in Syria,” added Gemayel.

He said Hizbullah joined the fighting in Syria for “certain interests,” adding that he expects these interests to change in the near future.

On the issue of the troops and policemen abducted by the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, Kataeb's chief said he has confidence in “Qatar's role” in the negotiations, hoping its efforts in the case will lead to results.

“That must happen while totally preserving the army's dignity and the country's sovereignty and without any bargaining,” he said.

Addressing the threat posed by the Islamic State to Christians in the region and Lebanon, Gemayel added: “We can be reassured over the future of Christians in Lebanon as long as we know how to protect our existence, but that must not happen through arms.”

“I'm totally against calls for autonomous security,” he said.

Asked whether Lebanon must coordinate with Syrian authorities to control the situation on the border, especially in Arsal's outskirts, Gemayel said “it is normal to maintain communication between Lebanon and Syria because there are issues that must be addressed, such as the issue of refugees and the situation on the border.”

Y.R.