Mansour Sticks to his Defense of Hizbullah Despite Criticism
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour shrugged off on Saturday the campaign of criticism against him after he defended Hizbullah in the Geneva II peace talks conference on Syria.
“I am convinced into what's in favor of Lebanon and its people,” Mansour said after laying the cornerstone for the new foreign ministry building in downtown Beirut near the Martyrs Square.
“I will not back off from my stances no matter what the campaigns were,” he said.
“We are a democratic country and there are different viewpoints in it,” he said. “I will take the path that I see as appropriate.”
In his speech at the conference's opening session in Geneva on Wednesday, Mansour defended Hizbullah’s fighting alongside troops loyal to President Bashar Assad in Syria.
He said critics of the group’s involvement in the neighboring country sought to provide cover for the takfiri threat in Lebanon.
“Those claiming that what is happening in Syria is a result of Hizbullah's involvement in the war want to divert attention from the fact that there are foreign terrorist groups in the region,” the caretaker foreign minister said.
The speech prompted President Michel Suleiman to issue a statement, saying distancing Lebanon from the Syrian crisis comes through the immediate end to interference in all of the neighboring country's internal affairs.
Asked by a reporter that his stance represented only a faction of the Lebanese people, Mansour said: “I had already informed the president about my speech.”
“But I added a paragraph to it during the (Geneva) meeting because the Lebanese people … cannot accept to be called terrorists,” he said.
Several March 14 alliance officials have dubbed him as the foreign minister of Hizbullah and not Lebanon.
25 January 2014, 13:09
313
Mansour, You are wearing the shoes of Charles Malek and Fuad Boutros. Is this how you honor their work? How can you be soooo unlebanese???
When you look at yourself in the mirror in the morning aren't you ashamed of yourself?
26 January 2014, 01:55
35
@ice-man,
What the difference between Sheikh Osama bin Laden and Sheikh Faisal Bin Saud?
Hint: I do not mean the nose job only.
25 January 2014, 13:29
1710
"After my speech (at the conference), I noticed that there is a tendentious chorus that wants to insult Lebanon's foreign minister,” Mansour added…. we should post this on all of his articles.
Mansour, the more you open your mouth, the more you sound like a cheep Assad lackey. You should feel ashamed you are no longer a local embarrassment you are now an international embarrassment.
25 January 2014, 13:54
148
It's not his fault he is not abiding by the national interests of Lebanon, it's Mikati's fault. There has not been much of accountability in Lebanon. Ministers do what they like as long as they are getting paid well by someone.
25 January 2014, 13:56
1610
not sure if he's got any - so use another body part for hanging!
25 January 2014, 15:22
125
I will accept any uneducated minister to replace this airhead, this moron will defend The Syrian regime to come back to Lebanon to bring stability in his eyes to the state that appointed him, he is appointed by Assad not by Suleiman that clearly stated the disassociation policy and his Hizbollah ministers signed off on it but acted based on Assad and Iran orders to join the war in another country.
Shia loyal to Iran and Sunni loyal to ksa between the two we have no Lebanon anymore.
25 January 2014, 16:22
77
(1). There are many flaws to Mr. Mansour's position, first, these days it has become increasingly difficult to defend Hezbollah and for very valid reasons. If let's say, Hezbollah was still fighting Israeli occupation or for that matter Syrian occupation of Lebanese land, then yes, one would easily find common ground to defend Hezbollah, but today in 2014, after Hezbollah went into so many wrong alleys most of which do NOT have the support of the majority of the Lebanese people, means that Hezbollah keeps committing proscribed acts against the constitution of the land.
25 January 2014, 16:28
67
(2). Then it's a crazy human nature to observe a repetition of what former victims of occupation of repression can do after liberation and here I will cite two cases, (1): What the Israelis did after the Holocaust when Israel became a state, what it keeps doing to the Palestinians runs almost parallel to what the Nazis did to the Jews. (2). Hezbollah are now doing almost the same to their Lebanese as what the Jews and Syrians did to us before liberation. Finally last but not least, sorry Mr. Mansour, about that thingy you call democracy, what you, your M8 side and those who back you up are the furthest thing from this principle, you are in truth practicing Ratocracy. Please Sir, try to find an audience that is gullible enough to listen to your cacophony. Tawashtna.
25 January 2014, 16:42
27
No foreign minister in the world shares their own personal opinion when speaking about foreign affairs, especially at such high level conferences, except dans liban of course. The state's stance should be the only voiced opinion of the foreign minister, at least on planet earth.
25 January 2014, 17:47
43
Mansour said: “I had already informed the president about my speech.” “But I added a paragraph to it during the (Geneva) meeting because the Lebanese people … cannot accept to be called terrorists,” he said.
"The speech prompted President Michel Suleiman to issue a statement, saying distancing Lebanon from the Syrian crisis comes through the immediate end to interference in all of the neighboring country's internal affairs."
I just quoted almost half of the article and you're still arguing that the president was in line with the FM's comment, and "if he isnt then why doesnt he say so"? There isn't anything to debate here, unless you haven't read the article.
25 January 2014, 19:26
96
I have heard Mr. Mansour defendd HA, Syria and Iran. I never heardd him defendd Lebanon. But with HA followers, defending the above to them is defending Lebanon (because to them Lebanon is an Iranian Welaya)
25 January 2014, 22:46
510
There are more Lebanese who support than there are supporting your terrorists
26 January 2014, 06:11
31
iranpatriot,
The Takfiris you are referring to are not much different from your HA friends ..... both are the enemies of Lebanon and neither are my friends. So your insult indicates how weak your argument is and your only defense is to say what you always say (broken record). I would love to debate your ideas, but can not find any.
25 January 2014, 19:41
11
That an individual in a democracy is entitled to his/her opinion is undeniable. That they seek to impose it on the rest of the population is unacceptable to say the least.
When that individual happens to be the foreign minister of an independent country, he/she DO NOT have the luxury or the right to express it on behalf of the country when the official stance of said country is directly opposite of his/her opinion.
Just imagine a soldier deciding on their own whether or not to follow his orders! Without abiding by the rules governing an organization no organized entity can survive, full stop.
25 January 2014, 20:45
93
This guy is a joke and a disgrace to Lebanon. Good thing his days as a minister are numbered. That's what you get when Hezb "owns" the foreign ministry.
25 January 2014, 22:48
410
No the joke is your leader Saado who doesn't live in Lebanon, has allegiance to KSA, and provides cover for terrorists..
26 January 2014, 01:45
62
If he lived in Lebanon then you will be wearing a black bra for him.
25 January 2014, 20:47
93
c'mon...the majority of the Lebanese have had ENOUGH of Hezbollah. That's a majority for YOU.
25 January 2014, 21:29
00
the majority of people in your neighborhood have that opinion! (i'm sorry my love, but that is not the same as the majority of Lebanese)
26 January 2014, 01:44
62
amatoury114, please change your pic. lebpatriot245367283938999.9 has a terrible obsession with cannibals.
