Bassil Defends Muallem Talks, Reassures on Ties with Hariri, Hizbullah

Free Patriotic Movement chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil on Thursday strongly defended his latest meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, which sparked controversy in Lebanon, as he reassured on the firmness of the FPM's ties with each of al-Mustaqbal Movement and Hizbullah.

“I don't want anyone to attack the premiership, but I won't accept that my jurisdiction be encroached on,” Bassil said in an interview on LBCI television.

“No one should believe that they can deal with us as 'dhimmis' by attacking us and not daring to attack others,” Bassil added, referring to the criticism of his New York meeting with Muallem.

“We have a political and diplomatic relation with Syria and I don't need the Cabinet's permission to meet with Walid Muallem at the U.N.,” he stressed.

He added: “I'm keen on Lebanon more than Syria and I want the Lebanese people's approval before the approval of any other people.”

Asked about the relation with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Bassil said: “Our rapprochement with PM Hariri is still ongoing and we are keen on it, and if the situation is otherwise, let him act accordingly.”

Turning to the relation with Hizbullah, Bassil said: “We will preserve our strategic agreement with Hizbullah and the partnership agreement with al-Mustaqbal Movement.”

As for the thorny issue of returning Syrian refugees to their country, the Foreign Minister said “we cannot maintain the waiting policy that they other camp has endorsed.”

“I have informed PM Hariri that we will no longer accept to stand idly by regarding the refugee issue,” he revealed.

Separately, Bassil pointed out that there is an attempt to “revive the previous political alignments” but emphasized that “it will be thwarted because it has no place.”

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq, who is close to Hariri, had recently boycotted President Michel Aoun's visit to France in protest at the Bassil-Muallem meeting.

He described the talks as as “political attack on the prime minister.”

“We will respond to it with all the available means,” he vowed.