In Maarab, Gemayel Warns of Bids to 'Divide Lebanese into Supporters, Opponents of Army'

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Tuesday warned against any attempt to fragment the army or divide the Lebanese into supporters and opponents of the military institution, stressing that “what’s important is keeping the army away from these negative stances which do not serve the national interest.”

Speaking to reporters after a two-hour meeting in Maarab with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, Gemayel said: “We warn against this dangerous game that will fire back at its perpetrators and we have full confidence in the army which is shouldering its responsibilities during this period.”

“There’s no doubt that there’s a fifth column trying to undermine the situations in the country, paralyze the state and fragment the army, in the vein of what we witnessed in the 1970s, which had destructive repercussions on the country and we are aware of this thing and we are ready to confront it,” Gemayel added.

Asked to comment about recent remarks on the defense strategy by MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, Gemayel said: “All this approach has been outdated since the year 2000.”

“During the recent dialogue sessions, we stressed our clear and firm stance that any plan must respect the Lebanese Constitution, the National Pact, the international legitimacy and the Security Council resolutions,” Gemayel added.

He also revealed that he agreed with Geagea “on several issues” and that their points of view were similar.