Geagea Affirms 'Staunch' March 14 Alliance, Says Syrian 'Tutelage' Exiled Aoun, Confined Him

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea stated that the Syrian “tutelage” has exiled President Michel Aoun back in 1990 and ordered his own detention, as he reassured that the March 14 alliance “has not died but is alive" and well.

“March 14 alliance is alive for the sake of Lebanon. If March 14 dies, Lebanon will die, but Lebanon will remain forever. March 14 will continue in spirit and goals. It will stay and we will stay committed on this project until it is fully realized,” said Geagea during an LF festival held in Sidney, Australia Thursday.

Turning to the Syrian occupation in Lebanon which ended in 2005, Geagea said: “The tutelage era and the regime of Hafez Assad have exiled Michel Aoun, disbanded the Lebanese Forces party, arrested Samir Geagea and his comrades and persecuted many including my wife,” said Geagea during the ceremony.

Referring to calls of some political parties to normalize ties with Syria in order to return displaced Syrians back home, the LF leader said: “It is a pity how some Lebanese today forgot that the Asaad regime has bombed Ashrafiyeh, Zahle, Qannat, Tripoli, Sidon and killed Bashir Gemayel, Kamal Jumblat and Rafic Hariri.

"All they care about today is to find a way to weave ties with the Assad regime under hundreds of pretexts of returning the displaced back to Syria."

“Most of all, they are finding arguments to re-establish relations with the Assad regime. The only way to return the displaced is to stay away from politicizing this issue, especially by moving away from Assad and cooperating with the countries that will be the corridor for the return of Syrian refugees to their homes,” concluded Geagea.