Geagea says Hezbollah disarmament 'Lebanese necessity', Berri not helping
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has called for the immediate disarmament of Hezbollah, rejecting that the government is acting under international pressure.
"Many people think that the Lebanese government has to dismantle Hezbollah because the U.S., the Arabs, and Israel are asking for it," Geagea said Tuesday. "This is false. Dismantling Hezbollah is a Lebanese necessity and a priority for the Lebanese population before anyone else."
"We had to dismantle Hezbollah before this war, before the framework agreement, but we are rather late," Geagea said, claiming that "75% of the people of Lebanon want Hezbollah to be dismantled."
Geagea emphasized that state sovereignty cannot exist alongside a separate, armed group. "You cannot have a state, a real state, with a military organization that confiscates strategic decisions and war and peace decisions," he said.
Geagea added that Speaker Nabih Berri "has not been playing a constructive role" and "has been hindering the amendments necessary to have elections for the last year."
Source: Naharnet
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