Geagea slams Hezbollah for 'obstructing' rise of state
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has blasted “the strong opposition that Hezbollah is showing for any cooperation for the rise of the state,” adding that “this is what’s obstructing and delaying everything in Lebanon.”
“The delay in the arms removal process is delaying the rise of a real state, the awaited economic revival and reconstruction,” Geagea added, in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
Acknowledging that “it is not easy for a party to hand over its weapons if they serve a certain purpose,” the LF leader said “the events in Lebanon have undoubtedly proven that weapons cannot affect anything.”
“All they do is that they give Hezbollah a bigger political weight in Lebanon,” Geagea added.
“Hezbollah is clinging to its arms as an additional factor in the domestic and Iranian equations, and so that Iran says that it is still maintaining a presence in Lebanon, which is weapons’ most important factor,” the LF leader said.
Lauding the Lebanese Army’s weapons monopoly plan, Geagea said he would have preferred its full implementation to be faster.
The LF leader also said that he does not agree to what is being said about the disarmament plan in the South Litani region being linked to Israeli withdrawal from the occupied points in the South.
“This is another misconception,” Geagea said.
He explained: “The government’s plan has nothing to do with anything else. The government’s decision on August 5 and the army plan submitted on September 5 do not include that. In general, the Army Command must submit a monthly report to the government about the progress that is happening, regardless of what Israel is doing.”
“Building the country does not hinge on what Israel is doing,” Geagea added.
Noting that “the best way to confront the Israeli threat would be the rise of a real state in Lebanon,” Geagea evaluated the work of the government and the presidency with great positivity.
“We’re part of this government and what we’re witnessing is that there is a state that is being rebuilt, although not with the pace we hope for,” the LF leader added.
