Geagea Backs Anti-IS Coalition, Slams Hizbullah for Criticizing it
Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea backed a decision by Lebanon to enter a U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State and criticized Hizbullah for rejecting the country's support of the efforts to destroy jihadists.
“I am totally with Lebanon becoming part of this Western-Arab coalition against IS … because Lebanon is one of the parties that would benefit from the destruction of this organization,” Geagea said in an interview with al-Akhbar newspaper published on Tuesday.
Ten Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Lebanon announced their backing for the strategy to "destroy" the group "wherever it is, including in both Iraq and Syria," following a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in the Saudi city of Jeddah last week.
The announcement drew the criticism of Hizbullah officials, who said in remarks to al-Akhbar that the party rejected the coalition.
Jihadists from the IS and al-Nusra Front overran the northeastern border town of Arsal last month, killing Lebanese soldiers and taking many of them hostages.
They later beheaded two of them.
“I hope that Hizbullah would make its stance clear … because it was the first to raise its voice against the IS and to call for the cooperation of the Lebanese (people) against it,” said Geagea.
The LF chief stressed that the Shiite party's rejection came over the failure to include the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the coalition.
Assad is a staunch supporter of Hizbullah, which has sent its fighters to Syria to help his troops in the fight against the rebels trying to topple him.
Asked if he backed the arming of Christians across Lebanon to confront terrorists, Geagea said: “ I reject personal arms because I still believe there is no direct threat on Lebanon, particularly after the establishment of the Western-Arab coalition to confront the IS.”
“As long as the (Lebanese) state still exists, our role should be limited to increase its existence and strength,” he said. “Self-security and personal arms paralyze it (the country) and make its existence smaller.”
Geagea said he would back the arming of Christians if the state was “fully disintegrated.”
But he stressed that the first essential step towards the protection of the Christians lies in holding the presidential elections.
“The army, security forces and the Lebanese state would get stronger when we elect a president, regulate political life, form a government and hold the parliamentary elections,” the LF leader told al-Akhbar.
Geagea, a presidential candidate, reiterated that the March 8 alliance was paralyzing the elections to find a successor to President Michel Suleiman, whose term expired in May.
He lamented that the elections were not looming in the horizon.
The rival MPs have failed in several rounds of elections to choose a head of state over their differences on a compromise candidate.
G.K.
H.K.
over 9 years
hahahaha it's really amusing to see some people still falling for geagea's hot air.
despite his speeches written for him by some commm advisers and tailored for his brainless supporters. he remains a war criminal, the single biggest killer of christians in lebanon, the sold traitor to israel and now saudi arabia, and someone who denied the threat of da3esh as long as he could before now jumping in because his masters said now is the time to "liberate" the oil fields in northern syria.
over 9 years
i see you're quite bothered by my comment, going hysterical and trying to divert from it. thanks for confirming i struck a nerve :)
over 9 years
hakim do3na ma3ak fi isis or not?? shu araret?
over 9 years
haha! I love how you expose them one by one. You are something another flamethrower and very clever.
over 9 years
@Mowanten, @FT : you are both undeniable example of double standard hypocrites. Typical naive sheep who's sole purpose is to unconditionally defend Lebanon's greatest threat : Hezbollah.
@Mowaten : I agree that Geagea is a war criminal. But so is every Hezbollah fighter and your Hassan Nasrallah. When you support such filth, avoid pointing to other war criminals and terrorists.
@FT & Mowaten : How can you be against ISIS and against any plans to take them down ? It's the same situation as Nasrallah calling Nahr el Bared a red line !
The only explanation is that you're either idiots, or ISIS, like Fath el Islam is a product of Bashar and Iranian making !
There is no possible excuse for being against this coalition.
You cannot be against foreign air strikes on Syria and support Syrian airstrikes on Lebanon !
over 9 years
I really wonder how many ,objective and down to earth, Lebanese do believe that there is a future for Lebanon in the existing political and ideological diversification within its population.
over 9 years
Good Morning Viewers,
Before anyone comments on Samir Geagea, I urge all readers to first read this insightful article called "How the West Created the Islamic State" prepared by Nafeez Ahmad at "Counterpunch"
Enjoy it. http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/09/12/how-the-west-created-the-islamic-state/
over 9 years
C'est qui ça ce monsieur Nafeez Ahmad? Personne n'en a entendu parler.
over 9 years
right on the spot hakim like always
so tell turkey( part of nato )to stop the transit of terrorists and tell the gulf countries to stop funding them
this is the first step for war against these terrorists
over 9 years
Geagea is a blight upon this country. He should be thrown back into the hole he crawled out of.
over 9 years
HAHAHAHAHHA phil thank you for "civilizing us" :D and for the laugh.
over 9 years
Wolf.. he might well be what you say, but at least he did not flee and leave his men to die, at least he stands by his principles and not switch sides, and align himself with the very people that have killed his men and destroyed his country. The greatest catastrophe to befall our beloved Lebanon is when Aoun was given power. It has been a downhill trip for the Christians ever since and our situation will continue to degenerate until this lunatic is locked up.
over 9 years
but hakim btw make up your mind do da3ech and nousra and Qaeda wahaby type of terrorists exist ??!!!!
you said they do not exist and now you are in a coalition for their elimination ???!!!!
3timid ya hakim
over 9 years
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar are in the anti-ISIS coalition? You mean to tell me the three countries that have directly funded terrorists in Syria have now joined a coalition against terrorism, despite still funding terrorism! Are you guys really that stupid?!!! CMON MAN!!!
over 9 years
so Geagea thinks there is no direct threat to Lebanon
Ya zaki which planet do you live in???
over 9 years
Flamer, what exactly do you want? Even pretty boy Bassil backs this coalition. Who gives a damn if the Arab states do nothing, at least the US has started its part without them. But of course, because Hezbollah and Assad aren't in this coalition, you criticise it. You ever thought that these criminals were THE coalition supposed o be fighting ISIS for the last two years? You just hear this term "anti-IS" coalition and that the US is starting it, so you just make fun of it because the Arabs aren't contributing to it. Then of course because the false hakim comments on it you make fun of him for not taking ISIS seriously. The State of Lebanon supports these efforts to build a coalition, get a life and stop complaining.
over 9 years
I never said I'm unhappy if Bassil backs the coalition. It doesn't matter if he does because you seem to forget Lebanon is a small country (I know it doesn't seem that way, we all think Lebanon is the centre of the universe) and wouldn't contribute much of anything to the coalition. They need to be armed in order to contribute anything, and compared to the US, UK and other potential contributing countries, Lebanon's contribution would be minute.
Bassil should be supporting this coalition. As much as I hate the guy, Hezbollah is wrong for criticising him. Hezbollah doesn't have the right to criticise him because they've been fighting in Syria for over a year and were supposed to help Assad fight ISIS (but they've been busy fighting Nusra, is that right?).
over 9 years
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/147263-hizbullah-slams-bassil-s-decision-at-anti-is-meet
Yeah who's the liar? Thought so.
over 9 years
Wow, what a comeback. I used a Naharnet article, like you've never used one to prove the false hakim's lies. I need some Chupachups...
over 9 years
Surely
over 9 years
GiGi can use the American ISIS coalition in his political speech but at the end of the day a child killer will always remain a child killer.
over 9 years
lol@full.disclosure. always on queue
over 9 years
:) meah habibi, its been a while minime
over 9 years
Mwah***
over 9 years
So wait he isnpaid by saudi and qatar who fund isis and now he along with them are against isis lololol, the sheepppp abide. Mashooooona yalla this isnt kindergarten guys
over 9 years
Where is Mystic these days?
over 9 years
Mr. Egghead should be slamming himself on the head, for sponsoring these guys to begin with. Along with America, NATO, EU and all the others in that god forsaken coalition.
Consistently pro-Lebanon, pro-State speeches .... I agree with all the positions he declared in this article. I am agreeing with his ideas, not necessarily his person.