Macron Says Lebanon Govt. within 2 Weeks, Hizbullah Arms 'Not a Taboo'
French President Emmanuel Macron said Lebanon's embattled leaders had pledged Tuesday to form a crisis cabinet within two weeks to push forward with key reforms, as he visited the disaster-hit country.
Macron was in Beirut for a second time since an August 4 explosion there which killed more than 180 people, laid waste to entire city districts and fueled popular rage against the country's political elite.
- Hizbullah has 'popular base' -
Speaking at a press conference following talks with the heads of Lebanon's parliamentary blocs, Macron said Hizbullah "is probably in parliament because of intimidation but also because other forces have failed to run the country well."
"But it has a popular base and that is the reality," he added.
Nonetheless, "with Hizbullah there is a discussion that needs to be initiated," with regards to disarmament, Macron added.
"This is exactly the discussion we had an hour ago (and) it should not be a taboo," he said.
02 September 2020, 01:02
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The mentLebanese people have every right to question the armed hegemony of Hizbullah and the legality of their weaponry. Macron is right in his assessment.
02 September 2020, 05:22
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"But it has a popular base and that is the reality," Macron added.
The drug cartels in Colombia and Mexico also have a popular base. Da3esh also has popular support so did the Nazis! As a Frenchman you should know better!
02 September 2020, 11:41
01
I will tell you why they have a popular base. Because many of their sect are poor , deprived, and uneducated.
Hezbollah gives them the feeling that they are part of something honourable and strong. These third class citizens feel empowered through their party. It is called populism.
Without their weapons though, they are nothing. They are inapt to govern, have no program, and are deeply secterian. Their own movement is gangrened with corruption.
02 September 2020, 20:15
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I wonder how he would react if there was a Hizballah-type armed group inside his country on the border with say, Germany or Italy?
03 September 2020, 16:59
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He is smarter than the rest of the world...everyone knows they are terrorists and in Yemen, Iraq, Syria fighting and dormant cells in Cyprus, Germany, Thailand and many other countries so instead of exposing them and fight them face to face like trump is doing via the economy, macron is trying to use the rest of the wise figures to wake up and change the laws, reforms and fix it simply because when trump is reelected and yes he will be..then God help us all because macron will freeze all their assets in Europe (yes euro and your Swiss banks) and trump will take care of the US dollars as he is doing now.
