Suleiman Says he Wants to Protect Resistance but Stresses Hizbullah Mistaken in Syria War
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman said Thursday that Hizbullah made a mistake in getting involved in Syria's war, adding the party should bring back its fighters to Lebanon to avoid further security incidents in the country.
“I warned them amicably about this issue. I wasn't disloyal or oblivious,” Suleiman told As Safir newspaper.
He said he would preserve the resistance but “I also want to protect it from itself.”
“If it participates in the battles of Aleppo and more of the party's members are killed, then there would be more tension” in Lebanon, Suleiman said. “This should stop in Qusayr and they should return to Lebanon.”
“The recent incidents (in Lebanon) will continue if the involvement in Syria doesn't stop,” Suleiman warned.
Hizbullah was credited with an important role in the Syrian army's recapture of the rebel stronghold of Qusayr in central Homs province earlier this month.
The regime has said it plans to build on that victory by trying to retake large parts of the northern city of Aleppo and its surrounding province, but it is unclear whether Hizbullah has joined that operation.
“When I find Hizbullah's behavior wrong then I become honest with it,” Suleiman said.
He also lashed out at Hizbullah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem for his criticism on his latest conversation with U.S. President Barack Obama.
“Those who are keen on Lebanon should not be subject to the U.S. dictates under the excuse of defending constitutional institutions and do not stand in the same trench of the American-Israeli project,” said Qassem on Wednesday.
But Suleiman stressed to As Safir that when Obama expressed concern over Hizbullah's involvement in Syria's war, he said he was also concerned over the meddling of all Lebanese parties in the neighboring country.
“We had reached consensus on the Baabda declaration to prevent interference but unfortunately all the parties did not commit to it,” Suleiman said he told Obama.
The president stressed that he had the best of ties with Syria but that the Assad regime had initiated at filing complaints against Lebanon with the U.N.
Suleiman has been criticized by several members of the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance for handing on Tuesday a memo to U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly on the Syrian violations of Lebanese sovereignty
The president's unprecedented move came after caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour procrastinated in sending the memo to the U.N.
In a statement he issued Thursday, Suleiman contemned Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace and the dropping of flares over the South.
He accused the Jewish state of violating international resolutions, mainly 1701, and urged the international community and the U.N. Security Council to thwart the attacks on its neighboring countries.
20 June 2013, 15:51
23
Ugh I hate these sectarian bombs!!... Always dragging the rest of the munitions into conflict...
20 June 2013, 10:46
610
Mr. President, you can't tell a foreign militia what to do. If they were truly Lebanese? They would have listened to you instead of the Ayatollah.
20 June 2013, 11:21
47
good position Mr president, but will hezbis listen to you? you are not their president! they do not obey nor respect lebanese laws and institutions....
20 June 2013, 12:48
54
How could a president of a republic states that he wants to " preserve tbe resistance" of an iranian traitor and treasoner militia is beyond me.
Partition please.
20 June 2013, 13:33
55
scored another victory for "Lebanon"? bek shi inta? First they said they wanted to defend the shia, then they said they did it for the resistance, and now they're saying they're doing it to fight Israel?
20 June 2013, 17:45
00
I believe him partially. He is for the resistance that liberated the land from Israel (yes he would like to preserve that one). But as far as the resistance that is crippling the State, overshadowing the President and the Government, discarding any and all Laws, then NO I am sure he does not care to preserve this resistance.
20 June 2013, 18:39
01
scored a victory?? what victory ?? kill people and destroy their houses??? invaded another country and fought against the will of people?? Your general once said "iza aradta an todafi3 3an al dictatoriya bil usulya f2anta moghafal w sathej". he's doing it him self. time for you to get out of your box mate.
20 June 2013, 13:02
46
No Mr. President Hizbo didnt make a mistake.... hizbo is the biggest mistake in the lebanese history its a cancer killing our country, now lets hope the 'chimio' works ... or else bye bye Lebanon.
20 June 2013, 14:59
00
I like the cancer analogy for Hizbiran. A cancer usually starts locally and slowly spreads until it totally consumes its host's vital organs. In this case, the cancer is unfortunately morphing into a communicable disease as it has spread into Syria. Looks like Iran is well underway to achieve part of its grand plan to spread its empire to the Mediterranean. How could anyone even pretend to be Lebanese while supporting Hizbiran?
20 June 2013, 15:27
32
I like the cancer analogy on Hizbiran. A cancer starts locally and slowly spreads to totally consumer and, ultimately, destroy its host - all the while pretending to be a natural part of the human body... what more fitting analogy. Unfortunately, this cancer is starting to act more like a communicable disease as it has spread to another body - sorry to say that happens to be Syria. Looks like Iran's plans to spread its influence (for lack of better words) to the Mediterranean are becoming closer to becoming reality.
How can anyone consider themselves Lebanese while supporting an openly foreign cancer?
20 June 2013, 15:29
43
Sadly, it is looking more and more like Israel is the only 'chemotherapy' that can get rid of this cancer.... feel free to take the chemo analogy and run with it.
20 June 2013, 16:15
02
Lebanon only exists as a country in the United Nations. Here we know that we're only a grouping of different ppl, who are highly suspicious of each other.
I wouldn't say partition is the answer, but I guess some kind of federal system would be the best choice. Look at how small the UAE is, they've managed to successfully have independent city states. I know we are not a tribal ppl, but we are a sectarian one.
This is the truth. During the 2006 war, ppl in batroon, for example, were not effected in any way. There was a mini war in saida a couple days ago, in Beirut I didn't bat an eyelash. We are already a separate people, lets just make it official in politics, and make a treaty between each other.
20 June 2013, 16:47
02
But that's my point... HA built the south. Meaning the Shia built their area. Just like the Christians built theirs, and the Druze built theirs, n so on. Every area in Lebanon has been built by its own people, that's y the Christian areas always look so much better, their people take care of their areas. There's no such thing as a whole country. A WAR can happen in one area, and the next area is not effected, or even gives a shit what's happening there.
Lets be separate city states. I'm durzi, and ill vote to stick with Christians. A unified mount Lebanon sounds good. It would be a beautiful and prosperous tourist destination. The rest can have their wars.
20 June 2013, 17:14
01
And a unified Lebanon has my vote too. All of our votes. All Lebanese want that, Sunni Shia Christian etc... But our only hope, the way I see it, is a UAE style federal system. Compare Dubai to Jabal Ali. They look nothing alike, their people want different things for their areas. And that's fine! That's how we already are, but in politics we ignore that fact. I just think things would run much smoother.
20 June 2013, 16:15
04
For a president who came as a compromise he just sided with Lebanon's interests instead of staying in the middle.
Now, his life is in danger and he should stick to the presidential residence because these people will not stop till they bring him down.
20 June 2013, 16:30
01
How can he arrest u? U don't live here.
You seem like a very bright guy, why do u chose to be a mouthpiece for one side?
If u follow lebanese politics long enough, u will notice that every side right now, was once on the opposite side, before switching to their current side. Politics here is not seen as a duty of conscience, but a game of current events.
U see, if you chose to only side with one group, u will be forced to contradict ur self. Take the president for example... Both m8 and m14 have stood 100% with him, and 100% against him, and back to 100% with him, etc... And the followers of these parties go back an forth praising and cursing the man.
20 June 2013, 16:30
14
Señor el presidente, there's no such thing as resistance. The only thing they're resisting is arrest!
20 June 2013, 16:47
01
I commend the president for taking this stance. It took courage. However, he is also against other sects and militias from participating in the war. There are many Sunni fighters there. Let's also not forget there are many Sunni from all over the world fighting there that are extremists, and would come for us next. I think the Lebanese will be better off being honest for once and staying neutral. Neutral from not just a Lebanese army/government perspective but all sects/parties...
20 June 2013, 16:54
12
Akh the beards!... It's like a uniform, only the worse it looks, the higher the rank :/
20 June 2013, 17:02
21
Khalas man it's all out in the open now. Hizballah is an Iranian militia. Not a lebanese militia that takes Iranian orders, but an Iranian militia. Like nasrallah said, he's only a soldier in their army.
But this group happens to be the strongest force, in both arms and politics, in Lebanon. What the president and Salam are trying to do now amounts to a coup... Against the political part anyway. The weapons will never be taken by force, or political maneuver.
20 June 2013, 17:20
11
Full power? That is the extent of the president's power, Making speeches... thanks to the Tiaf accord.
20 June 2013, 17:36
11
Agre with you on that he is just and fair. I also add he is patriotic Lebanese (as opposed to patriotic KSA or patriotic Iranian).
As such his enemies are now on both extremes of the spectrum, this includes takfiris and HA.
20 June 2013, 18:34
10
wle mrit.. and you call your self Lebanese. you are the liar and the ignorant bsein hiding behind a name.. the government controlled by m8 didn't allow the army to protect the borders. nes mitlak wasalo l balad lahon
