Mouawad: We Reject Employment of Zgharta’s Name in Defending Syrian Regime

The head of the Independence Movement Michel Mouawad noted on Thursday that the latest developments in Lebanon are aimed at imposing Lebanon under the rule of Hizbullah’s arms and changing its identity by force.

He added during an Independence Movement iftar: “We reject the employment of Zgharta’s name in defending the criminal Syrian regime.”

“We reject the use of Zgharta to cover up plans to create strife in Lebanon through northern Lebanon,” he declared in reference to former minister Michel Samaha’s arrest last week on charges of forming a criminal gang aimed at carrying out attacks in Lebanon.

“They have assassinated our leaders and we succeeded, through our struggle, in forming the Special Tribunal for Lebanon,” he continued.

“The tribunal issued an indictment based on evidence and they sought to protect the accused, turning them into saints, and accusing us of collaborating with the enemy,” he added.

“This time however, their true colors have been revealed,” Mouawad said in reference to Samaha’s arrest.

He praised the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau on its achievement and “arrest of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s advisor, Michel Samaha.”

“There is no need to make an accusation because the picture is clear for all to see,” he noted.

“What were his allies’ reactions? None of them issued a statement in condemnation,” he remarked.

“Some powers felt ashamed and remained silent, while others overlooked the severity of the crime and its targets and began to focus on how the arrest was made,” said the head of the Independence Movement.

“The door of his residence was broken down for the sake of Lebanon’s stability and security,” Mouawad stressed.

“Those who objected to the manner of the arrest are the same sides who broke down thousands of doors and violated the people’s liberties and dignities for the sake of the Syrian regime and in order to assert its hegemony in Lebanon,” Mouawad continued.

“Michel Samaha was not arrested, but Bashar Assad was,” he stated.

“Michel Samaha’s crimes were not revealed, but those of the Syrian regime were,” he added.

Samaha’s plan was not solely aimed at carrying out attacks in Akkar, but it was aimed at demonstrating to the world that should Assad’s regime collapse, so would the presence of Christians in the region, he said.

The former minister was reportedly planning on carrying out attacks in Akkar and against various political and religious figures.

Addressing the March 8 camp, Mouawad declared: “Your plans have failed. We want to govern Lebanon. We want to ensure the rise of the state.”

“We don’t have to regain it by force, but through the parliamentary elections,” he stressed.

“We cannot accept that the whole Arab world head to ballot boxes, while they try to return us to their boxes of death and spite,” he remarked.

“Zgharta has an obligation to take part in this victory and emphasize the authority of the state and partnership in Lebanon,” said Mouawad.

He opposed having “a Zgharta local act as a defense lawyer to those who betrayed Lebanon.”

He made his remark in reference to Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh’s statements to al-Mayadeen television on Tuesday in which he said that Samaha stated that was going to plant the explosives on routes being used to smuggle arms to Syria and the Free Syrian Army.

Mouawad concluded by confirming his alliance with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and the Mustaqbal Movement, saying that this alliance is not based on temporary circumstances.

“This alliance of moderation is aimed at asserting Lebanon’s sovereignty and identity based on diversity, democracy, freedom, peace, and openness,” he said.