Geagea: Our Allies Did Not Understand our Stance over Electoral Law

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stated that his party is “playing a complicated political game” over the parliamentary electoral law, reported the Kuwaiti al-Anba daily Saturday.

He said: “Some of our allies did not understand our stance, but I will soon hold a press conference to discuss at length the details of the discussions over the new law.”

“The LF was misunderstood and it was wronged at different instances over its position,” he added.

“Discussions have however started to take their right course and we may reach an agreement over a new law that enjoys consensus over the next few days,” revealed Geagea.

“Should we fail to do so before March 20, then the term of the current parliament will be extended from a technical perspective, not a political one,” he explained.

Some March 14 alliance members were critical of the Lebanese Forces for its approval of the Orthodox Gathering parliamentary electoral law.

The proposal calls for dividing Lebanon into a single electoral district and allows each sect to vote for its own lawmakers under a proportional representation system.

The proposal also enjoys the support of the Christian Phalange Party, Free Patriotic Movement, and Marada Movement.

The draft-law has been rejected by President Michel Suleiman, Premier Najib Miqati, the Mustaqbal bloc, independent March 14 figures, and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Jumblat, who all said that the proposal fuels sectarian divisions in Lebanon.

The ongoing dispute over a new electoral law is threatening to postpone the elections, which are scheduled for June 9.

Asked if he would have adopted the policy of disassociation from regional developments if he were president, Geagea responded: “Such a government as the current one would not exist had I been president.”

“The Syrian army is attacking its people with Scud missiles, fighter jets, and tanks,” he added.

“The government must therefore take the moral position over these developments, but given that the March 8 camp is controlling a number of ministries, some aid is being passed to the Syrian regime,” said the LF leader.

This was recently demonstrated by Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour at the Arab League when he suggested that Syria's seat at the League should be restored, Geagea stated.

“He acted like Syrian President Bashar Assad's foreign minister despite Suleiman's different position on Syria,” he added.

“Mansour was not attempting to deliver a message, but he simply wanted to stress that the Syrian regime still exists and it controls the whole situation in its country,” he said.

Asked if foreign diplomats had issued warnings that the fall of the Syrian regime would negatively affect Christians, he replied: “We never received such warnings. The survival of the regime will be worse on Christians in Lebanon and Syria than its collapse.”

Commenting on the impact of the Syrian crisis on Hizbullah, he noted: “This is the first time in seven years that the party is uncomfortable on all levels because Syria serves as its arms depot and training base.”

“No Hizbullah member or Shiite can now head to Syria,” he said.

“Hizbullah has lost a number of its weapons depots in Syria because it either cannot reach them or it was forced to empty them due to the ongoing crisis,” remarked the LF leader.

“The crisis is stretching on because Iran is supplying $500 million to a billion dollars to the regime. The crisis will continue as long as a single Iranian rial or Hizbullah member is able to fight in Syria,” he stressed.

Hizbullah has systematically denied sending fighters into Syria, though its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged in October 2012 that party members had fought Syrian rebels but said they were acting as individuals and not under the group's direction.

Recently, Louay al-Meqdad, spokesman for the Supreme Council of the Free Syrian Army, has accused Hizbullah of shelling Syrian territory with artillery and rocket launchers from bases inside Lebanon.

FSA chief of staff General Selim Idriss has threatened to shell positions of Hizbullah in Lebanon.