March 14 MPs Warn Against Return to Era of Hegemony

March 14 lawmakers Ammar Houri and Oqab Saqr warned that Syrian meddling in the Lebanese government formation process would take back the country to the era of hegemony.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Houri told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published Sunday that he rejects interfering in the internal affairs of any country just as he is against the meddling of any side in Lebanon’s affairs.

He expressed regret at visits carried out by MPs Michel Aoun and Walid Jumblat and the assistants of the Hizbullah leader and the speaker, Ali Hassan Khalil and Hussein Khalil, to Damascus.

“This is not comforting and take us backwards,” Houri said in reference to the period of Damascus’ hegemony over Lebanon that ended with the pullout of Syrian troops from the country in 2005.

Now Lebanon bloc MP Saqr, in his turn, said “the unilateral formation of the Lebanese government reflects negatively on the situation in Lebanon and Syria.”

“Any provocative government would create a problem for Syria internally and on its international ties,” he stressed.

“It is not acceptable to abort what we have achieved since 2005,” Saqr added.