Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, who is continuing his visit to Australia, highlighted the problems facing Lebanon. The LF chief accused Hezbollah of confiscating the state's decisions and expressed his fear of difficult days to threaten stability Lebanon and the region.
Geagea's words came during a lunch banquet hosted by the Chargé d'Affaires of the Lebanese Embassy in Canberra, Giscard Khoury.
The Ambassadors of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, as well as the Chargés d'Affaires of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and Libya, were also present.
After thanking the Arab countries for their continued support for Lebanon, the head of the LF said that some of the problems faced by Lebanon were common, "but others are not".
He went on to shine light on the rampant corruption, "an internal issue that the Lebanese must resolve," before dwelling on what he described as a "strategic problem of failure to respect the concept of the state."
In this context, he attacked Hezbollah, "a mini-state that confiscates strategic decisions, those of war and peace, and acts as it wishes, even if the results of its actions have repercussions on all the Lebanese people."
"As Lebanese groups, we respect each other because Lebanon we cannot be built otherwise, but we must decide whether we want the state or not," he said.
He stressed that the State could not be built if it did not make its own strategic decisions and if military activities were not the exclusive task of the army.
According to Geagea, the situation in Lebanon is thorny "because, on the one hand, the status quo is inadmissible, and on the other hand, it is essential to avoid any risk of a new civil war."
"We must therefore assume our responsibilities so that Hezbollah remains a political party, not a military party that confiscates the decisions of the state," he said, calling on other political parties to take similar positions to garner a parliamentary majority capable of modifying the present situation.
Asked about the impact of Lebanese-Iranian relations on Lebanon's relations with the Gulf countries, the leader of the LF noted that it was very negative, considering that the government should reconsider its positions with the resumption of the conflict between the United States, the West and the Arab countries against Iran, "to avoid being drawn into a brazier that can be avoided."
"Difficult days await Lebanon and the region. In my opinion, our interest lies in returning to the policy of dissociation because our country cannot be a party to regional conflicts, whether in Syria or in other parts of the world," Geagea warned.
The LF chief also visited the Australian Parliament and met with several ministers and deputies from the ruling and opposition parties.
TWEET YOUR COMMENT