Geagea Says 'at Same Distance from All Parties, including Hizbullah'

Lebanese Forces leader and presidential candidate Samir Geagea on Tuesday announced that he stands “at the same distance” from all political parties, including Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement, while accusing FPM's supporters of twisting his remarks about his meeting with former premier Saad Hariri.

“I don't think I was misunderstood, but some parties deliberately interpreted my remarks in that manner, as (FPM chief) General (Michel) Aoun's supporters are really wishing to obtain the support of the March 14 forces and ex-PM Hariri for their candidate and they're hoping Aoun will be elected president,” Geagea said in an interview in Paris with Radio Orient.

Remarks attributed to Geagea by some media outlets had caused confusion on Monday and prompted the LF to describe them as “incorrect, curtailed and totally inaccurate.”

He was quoted as saying that Hariri suggested during their Paris meeting the possibility of endorsing Aoun as a “consensual” candidate. But during his press conference, Geagea clarified that Hariri only raised the issue of Aoun's nomination as one of several "possibilities."

In his Tuesday interview, the LF leader stressed that the coming president must “enjoy the confidence of the Lebanese people in addition to popular support and representation.”

In response to a question, Geagea stressed that he stands “at the same distance” from all political parties, “including Hizbullah and the FPM.”

“But that does not prevent me from having my own presidential program which some parties might like and others may not like,” Geagea added.

Asked whether his suggestion on “building the state” involves prohibiting Hizbullah from using its weapons, Geagea said: “No one has the right to possess arms in Lebanon, not Hizbullah nor any similar group, as the very nature of the state cannot bear the presence of alternative authorities operating in the same country.”

“I believe that the presidential palace is the most secure place in Lebanon,” Geagea said in response to another question on whether security concerns will prevent him from reaching the Baabda Palace.

The LF leader stressed that Lebanon needs a strong president who has a clear program.

“We've had enough of presidents who get elected to manage the crisis. We need a president who would start finding solutions to our crisis, as we cannot continue in the same manner,” he noted.

In the first parliamentary session to elect a president on April 23, Geagea only managed to garner 48 votes, falling short of the 86 votes needed by any candidate to emerge victorious in the first round. The March 8 forces forced a lack of quorum in the three other sessions that were scheduled.

President Michel Suleiman's tenure ends on May 25.

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