Gemayel Calls on Govt. to Leave, Slams Its 'Absence' in Arsal Negotiations
Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel has called on the government to step down in connection with an agreement to evacuate al-Nusra Front jihadists from the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Arsal.
“We have witnessed battles on Lebanon's soil which were fought by armed groups and not the Lebanese army and under a decision that was not made by the Lebanese state, amid a total absence of all institutions,” Gemayel said, referring to the Hizbullah-Nusra clashes and the subsequent evacuation and prisoner swap deal.
“We watched the battles on TV... and no one exerted any effort to tell us what was going on in our country and what the Lebanese state was doing,” Gemayel added.
“Who has decided that it is permissible to evacuate cowardly criminals who committed crimes against the Lebanese army and executed some of its soldiers? Was it the Lebanese government? Was it the Lebanese judiciary?” he wondered.
“Can anyone tell us who has authorized this deal? The Cabinet did not convene and the judiciary did not make any decision, so can we know who is deciding Lebanon's fate nowadays?”
General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim is playing a key role in the ongoing negotiations.
The first round of the exchange saw Hizbullah and Nusra swap the dead bodies of a number of their fighters while the second round, which has reportedly run into obstacles, involves the exchange of prisoners and the evacuation of around 9,000 refugees, militants and family members to northern and central Syria.
“If this government has resigned from its primary role, which is to defend Lebanon and preserve its sovereignty and independence, let it resign completely seeing as another government could shoulder the responsibility in a better way,” Gemayel urged.
The evacuation and exchange deal comes after a military offensive by Hizbullah fighters and Syrian troops during which they captured border areas between the two countries and left hundreds of Nusra fighters besieged in a small rugged mountainous area in Arsal's outskirts.
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