Geagea Vows to Confront Any Bargain Aimed at 'Besieging' Bitar

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has pledged that his party would confront any “bargain” aimed at restricting the work of Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar.

“As for what is being said about a bargain related to besieging Judge Bitar in parliament in agreement with the Free Patriotic Movement, in return for accepting the appeal against the electoral law, that would be a major crime against Lebanon, the Lebanese, the judiciary and the investigation,” Geagea said in an interview with Kuwait’s al-Jarida newspaper.

“We will work on confronting it with all our strength and we will not allow it. We will study the decisions that will be taken should they decide to resort to this bargain,” the LF leader added.

He separately noted that “Lebanon went through a lot of difficulties in the past but it managed to beat them” and that “Hizbullah cannot control Lebanon, because the model it is presenting contradicts with the nature of the Lebanese.”

“Information Minister George Kordahi’s resignation is the biggest example that no side can tolerate what Hizbullah wants, and in the end the party was obliged to offer concessions and submit,” Geagea added, describing Kordahi’s exit as “a strong blow” to Hizbullah.

“This might push it to resort to security options due to its limited choices,” Geagea went on to say, noting that “the crisis is bigger than this and is related to the policies of Lebanon as a state.”

He added: “Kordahi’s resignation will not lead to resolving the crisis with the Gulf states, but it might open a door for discussions and dialogue for the sake of reaching a common ground with which everyone in Lebanon would be convinced, regarding the need to alter the political course and prevent Hizbullah from controlling the state and its decisions.”