Soaid: Opposition Preparing to Topple Government

The March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid stated that a government that provides cover to a group that is “attached” to the Syrian regime cannot provide the Lebanese people with security.

He told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published on Saturday: “The opposition is preparing to topple the Lebanese government.”

He explained that it is seeking to overthrow it because it is a “main backer of the Syrian regime in Lebanon.”

“The government is placing all of its political, diplomatic, and security capabilities in supporting the Syrian regime, which was demonstrated in Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour’s actions before the Arab League and United Nations Security Council,” he noted.

“A new phase in Lebanon where the political, media, parliamentary, and even popular confrontations against the government’s support for Syria must begin,” Soaid declared.

Asked if the opposition would resort to street action to achieve this goal, he replied: “In the past, we had requested that the Lebanese diaspora mobilize due to the sensitive political situation in Lebanon.”

“If the regime’s violations increase then will resort to popular action,” he added.

He explained that in the previous phase, the opposition had simply voiced its verbal support for the Arab revolts, “but now we are trying to back Syria in action.”

The March 14 official stressed however that this action will not turn into meddling into Syrian internal affairs.

“This will take place through demanding the toppling of the Lebanese government, which has no purpose but to support Syria and thwart the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, especially since one side in the government is accused of being involved in assassinations in Lebanon,” Soaid revealed.

Mansour had stated before the U.N. Security Council that Lebanon cannot support a decision that condemns the Syrian regime’s crackdown against anti-regime protests.

On October 4, Lebanon abstained from voting on a Security Council draft resolution to impose sanctions on Syria.

A few months prior to that, it had disassociated itself from a statement that condemned the regime’s crackdown.