Bassil: If FPM fully moves to opposition, it will become stronger

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has warned some political rivals that “if the FPM fully moves to the opposition it will become stronger.”

“It’s true that the country would weaken with such an establishment and such a president, but the FPM would become stronger and stronger, because it will not be a partner in any failure equation,” Bassil said during a tour of the Akkar district.

“Betrayal can destroy mountains, but it has not and will not destroy us,” Bassil added.

As for Speaker Nabih Berri’s proposed dialogue, Bassil said the FPM “cannot be against effective and beneficial dialogue” but noted that the FPM is “keen on dialogue’s success.”

“We have not put conditions but we have specified the circumstances that would lead to dialogue’s success, or to the election of a president according to a program, because the program is more important than the person in these circumstances,” he added.

“Should the FPM show positivity and willingness, the answer should be through leniency and not imposition, because it has been proved that imposition is not effective with us,” Bassil went on to say.

He added: “We tell those who want to endorse any settlement… without us: May God grant you success, but you will fail.”

Hitting back at Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, Bassil said: “Our Movement has a firm base stemming from our army’s slogan ‘Honor, Sacrifice, Loyalty’, and no one can separate between the FPM and the Lebanese Army.”