Gemayel Urges Unity to Prevent Lebanon from Becoming Victim of Regional Changes

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel urged on Monday political leaders to stop getting embroiled in petty disputes that distract them from major developments in Lebanon and the region.

He said after holding talks with Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin: “The Lebanese leaderships should fortify Lebanon against the unrest raging in the region.”

“All authorities should focus their attention on the internal scene, protect the constitutional institutions, and find a way to reconcile the citizens with their state,” he stressed.

Gemayel said that there are attempts to create unrest in Lebanon because “more than one side is eager to escalate the situation in the country for reasons connected to developments in some Arab states.”

On the Brigades of Abdullah Azzam’s denial that it was behind the firing of rockets from Lebanon against Israel, he noted: “Lebanon has been turned into an open ground for delivering regional messages.”

“Given the dangerous situation the country is going through, we are in need of a national stand that steers away from the current political divisions,” he stated.

“All sides should unite in preventing Lebanon from becoming the victim of the regional developments,” Gemayel said.

The Brigades of Abdullah Azzam, an al-Qaida-inspired group, denied claiming responsibility for a recent rocket attack from southern Lebanon against Israel.

It instead blamed a group linked to Hizbullah, a U.S. monitoring group said Monday.