Geagea says Aoun, Salam doing 'what must be done' to end war
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said Hezbollah is incapable of reaching a deal to end the war, urging the group to let the government do its job.
Geagea told al-Jadeed on Sunday evening that President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are doing "what must be done" to get Lebanon out of the predicament into which it was dragged.
Geagea said Hezbollah is in no position to seek political concessions and should instead be held accountable for the situation into which it has dragged the country.
He called on the state to take decisive action to assert its authority across Lebanon through every available means. "The decision to consider Hezbollah's armed activity illegal has remained merely a decision on paper and was never implemented," he said, adding that the Taif Agreement stipulates the full restoration of state sovereignty over every inch of Lebanese soil.
Geagea noted that despite Saudi Arabia's support for legitimate Lebanese institutions, the kingdom is refraining from taking initiatives because the Lebanese state is incapable of implementing its decisions. "Saudi Arabia wants Lebanon to be a functional state," he said.
Geagea stressed that only President Aoun is responsible for managing the negotiations, including their timing, the choice of the negotiators and how the negotiations are held.
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem rejected on Monday Lebanon's planned direct talks with Israel, calling them a "grave sin" that will destabilize Lebanon.
"We categorically reject direct negotiations with Israel, and those in power should know that their actions will not benefit Lebanon or themselves," Qassem said in a statement, calling on authorities to "back down from their grave sin that is putting Lebanon in a spiral of instability"..
Source: Naharnet
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