Bassil says Hezbollah would disarm 'at will' when army is equipped to defend country
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil said Thursday that the army must be allowed and equipped to defend Lebanon against any aggression and that Hezbollah would then deliberately hand over its arms.
Bassil accused the political authority in Lebanon of being powerless and taking orders from foreign countries, as Washington is pressing the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem had complained earlier this week that the U.S. is trying to force the country to make concessions to Israel with no commitments offered in return, accusing it of imposing "diktats" on the Lebanese government.
In August, the government ordered the army to devise a disarmament plan. Since then, the army has briefed the government twice on the plan but the discussions were kept secret.
Bassil said that Hezbollah would deliberately hand over its arms to the army when they know there is a political decision that allows the army to defend and free Lebanon.
"Instead of being determined to make the army the sole armed entity, we should be keen on funding and equipping it," Bassil said, so that the army can defend "all the Lebanese" against any aggression.
"The army is not here to watch but to defend our people, our dignity, and our nation. This is how we restore the confidence of the Lebanese in the army," he said.
6 days
Bassil is desperate. Attacking Hezbollah's arms didn't restore his or the FPMs popularity, so back to the old. As to his dignity, Michel Aoun left it in 1990 in the French embassy staining his pyjama.
Bassil said that Hezbollah would deliberately hand over its arms to the army when they know there is a political decision that allows the army to defend and free Lebanon.
"...our youth were engaged in a dialogue with Hezbollah between 1993 and 1994. These youth visited me at that time in France (Haute Maison) and asked for my opinion. I requested that they put forward this same question for Hezbollah: "If we reach the national borders (Israeli-Lebanese borders) tomorrow by one way or another, does the role of the rifle end there and the Lebanese state is erected, or we will keep holding to the rifle for other things? The Hezbollah response was:" the matter will be left for an assessment of the situation at that time". This simply means and in a very diplomatic way that they don't want to give up the rifle".
From Michel Aoun's interview with MTV Journalist Elie Nakouzi on 09/04/02