Geagea Says Fear of Extremism Does Not Justify Crimes of Dictatorships
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Saturday urged Hizbullah to take a bold decision and hand in their weapons to the state after they fulfilled their role in the year 2000, stressing that the fear of extremism does not justify the crimes of dictatorships that created it in the first place.
“Some of you might think that Hizbullah’s arms protect and strengthens you, but you have missed that our protection can only be achieved through the Lebanese state,” Geagea said in a speech commemorating fallen members of his party.
During the mass under the title “Memorial Mass for the Martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance,” he said that Hizbullah’s weapons are no longer justified nor acceptable “especially through the latest developments.”
“The arms confiscate the state’s strategic decision and threatens the free Lebanese,” Geagea stressed.
The LF leader emphasized that “it’s not acceptable to classify the Lebanese according to their political affiliations.”
The citizen that belongs to Hizbullah in Lassa, Beirut or the south became in the eye of the security services “different from other citizens in the same regions… all under the name of resistance,” Geagea said.
“They are allowed to use their weapons… construct buildings on private or public property… while others aren't,” he noted.
Geagea demanded the Lebanese authority to apply the law on all citizens in all regions.
He said: “Hizbullah’s arms don’t only threat citizens but officials and politicians also, where cabinets were toppled… all under the name of resistance.”
The “people, army and the resistance” unity formula turned into only the “resistance” formula, he added.
“The Lebanese state can have the Arab and international support, but some insist that this state is incapable and justify its arms by this,” Geagea remarked.
“The non-state weapons are not only a burden for the Lebanese people, it is also a burden for Hizbullah itself,” he stressed.
In his speech, the LF leader said “we don’t fear anyone… We do not accept intimidation.”
Geagea responded to the controversial position of the Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Paris.
Al-Rahi said that Syrian President Bashar Assad should be given the chance to introduce reform over his fear that the collapse of the regime would lead to the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Syria, which could threaten Christians there.
Al-Rahi also linked the fate of Hizbullah’s weapons to the liberation of the remaining Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories.
However, Geagea said that “the Christian existence in Lebanon and the East has spiritual values, and holds on interaction and real participation in the national, cultural, political and social life for the people of the region.”
“We have the right to exist and interact,” he stressed.
He added: “Those who kill our brothers in the nation, region, or the world without mercy aren’t worth our friendship or alliance.”
Reflecting the issue like this merely “dwarfs the Christians' historical role,” Geagea said.
“We will not be false witnesses against what we believe in to avoid an alleged radical regime… Being afraid of radicalism is legitimate but it does not justify what is prohibited. Is there any radicalism more violent than what we are witnessing in Syria’s cities and towns?” he wondered
He tackled the developments in Syria by condemning the Lebanese government’s stance regarding the uprising in Syria, “which gives a dark image of Lebanon, and contradicts the aspirations of the majority of its people”.
Concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon probing the assassination of ex-Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Geagea said that the “justice is for all the Lebanese, even the people of the region.”
“Some tried to halt the progress of the STL from the moment it was created… They even tried to pressure Lebanon to stop the funding of the tribunal,” he stressed.
He said: “The killing machine that some people used or protected to achieve political aims will be out of service soon. Everyone should seek a different approach to achieve their political goals, in a democratic, constitutional, legal, civilized way.”
On the issue of Shebaa farms and Kfar Shouba hills, the LF leader said that it should be solved through international ways, urging the Syrian government to “recognize it through a written agreement.”
“Shebaa Farms and Kfar Shouba hills are Lebanese,” he stressed.
Regarding the oil and gas reserves, he noted that they belong to the “Lebanese and not only one party.”
“It is the obligation of the state and the Lebanese people to defend their oil, we will not let anyone to confiscate it,” he said.
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