Geagea: Cabinet is Better Off Resigning if it Can't Resolve Hizbullah's Fighting Abroad

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea criticized the statement issued by the cabinet on Monday on Lebanon's crisis with Saudi Arabia, saying that it “failed to hit the nail on the head” regarding Hizbullah's involvement in foreign conflicts.

He said during a press conference on Tuesday: “The cabinet is better off resigning if it cannot properly resolve Hizbullah's fighting in conflicts abroad.”

He noted that the party is playing a “strategic” role in the war in Syria, while meddling in the affairs of Iraq, Bahrain, and Yemen, “all against Saudi Arabia's policy in the region.”

This has led Hizbullah, and consequently Lebanon, in a confrontation with these countries.

“Cabinet spent hours and hours wrangling over a word here and a word there as if our entire fate hinges on a word. I consider yesterday's statement just poetic phrases,” said Geagea.

The reality is that there are great differences between what the cabinet described and what is taking place on the ground.

It spoke highly of Saudi Arabia's support of Lebanon over the years, but “it has left a Lebanese party free to wage foreign battles,” added the LF chief.

The cabinet called for respecting the policy of disassociation, “but how can that be possible when a member of government, is taking part in the fighting in Syria?”

“A state should operate with the least amount of logic,” Geagea remarked sarcastically.

“The situation in Lebanon is going from bad to worse, partially because of Hizbullah's foreign meddling and mainly due to the usurpation of the state's voice,” he lamented.

The cabinet said that Lebanon's ties with Arab countries should be rectified. This demands that Hizbullah withdraw its forces from these countries, he stressed.

Commenting on the debate during the session on phrasing the statement and the use of the term “Arab unity” as opposed to “national unity,” Geagea said: “National unity means all members of the country, not one and not the other.”

“How can we reconcile the needs of national unity when we disregard the views of some parties. This equation cannot be applied given the current state of affairs,” he noted.

“If the issue is about national unity, then where is national unity on Hizbullah's fighting in Syria? Where is national unity on criticizing Saudi Arabia?” he asked.

“National unity is being manipulated to justify certain policies,” he stressed.

“Our crisis is much greater than the one that was described in cabinet's statement,” Geagea remarked.

He said it should have more direct in tackling Hizbullah involvement in foreign conflicts, saying that the government alone is qualified to address this issue.

It should resign if it cannot carry out this mission.

Saudi Arabia on Friday announced that it was halting a $4 billion aid grant to the Lebanese army and Internal Security Forces in wake of Hizbullah's actions in the region and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's stances at Arab League meetings.

The foreign minister had abstained from voting on Arab League and world Muslim body statements condemning attacks by protesters on Saudi Arabia's embassy and consulate in Iran. The minister had objected to a phrase describing Hizbullah as “terrorist” in the Arab League statement.

Hizbullah has meanwhile been virulent in criticizing Saudi Arabia's role in the region, blaming it for the unrest in Yemen and Syria.

Addressing the crisis on Monday, the cabinet said that it adheres to Arab consensus, while voicing its support for Saudi Arabia and acknowledging the positive role it has played in Lebanon.

Soon after the statement was issued, Bassil announced that given the choice between “Arab consensus and national unity, we side with national unity.”

M.T.

G.K.