War of Words Erupts between Geagea and Hariri

Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri replied to the statements of Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, stating that the latter and Hizbullah have obstructed his initiative to end the presidential vacuum.

“Just a reminder. The first person to nominate you for the presidential post was I,” said Hariri via Twitter addressing Geagea who made the statements in an interview on MTV on Wednesday.

“The country is more important than you and I. The parties that obstructed my initiative to end the presidential impasse were you and Hizbullah,” added the ex-PM referring to his nomination of Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the top state post.

“We (al-Mustaqbal) are not against the alliance (between the LF and the Free Patriotic Movement), but we have the right to stand by the people who have backed us since 2005 including Dori Chamoun, Sami Gemayel, Butros Harb, Elias el-Murr, Hadi Hobesih , Farid Makari and the list goes on,” remarked Hariri.

The MP concluded: “The only agenda that motivates me is a national and not a sectarian one. I am not waiting for personal gains...the most important thing for me is for the country to win and for the people to live.”

Geagea announced in his interview that the LF and the FPM faced a “major war” from all parties in the latest municipal polls, noting that both al-Mustaqbal movement and Hizbullah are against the LF-FPM rapprochement.