Hariri: Time to protect the resistance is over

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Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri said in remarks published on Friday that it is no longer possible to protect the Resistance when its “weapons have turned to point at the Lebanese.”

“Every Lebanese is wondering if it is possible to live in Lebanon in the shadow of a group Hezbollah that keeps carrying weapons and using them in its interest when the need calls,” he told An-Nahar newspaper.

Snapping back at officials who claim that the arms belong to the resistance, Hariri said: “We are all resistors…. True resistance is based on the people, its will and its perseverance, and also on the Lebanese state.”

“At any time when I am prime minister again, I will hold fast to the state alone. The state is what fights Israel. This is my basic conviction, even if I bargained with the other side to protect the country.”

Hariri also said he had not “swept the issue under the rug” during his tenure because “the subject of weapons was put in the national dialogue for discussion.”

“I did not surrender this as some say, but I tried in every sense of the word to work for a national unity government […] built on reconciliation and true partnership.”

“The other side did nothing to help this partnership succeed. They thought that what we were doing was motivated by fear, not conviction. Over the past five years they tried to eliminate me,” he said.

“I tried everything. I went to Syria, and I went to Iran and I did what true partnership required, while the other side did nothing.”

“When you build a nation with a partner, you do not do it with bad intentions, but you try to build it honestly with true partnership. If you are stabbed in the back and they are always waiting for you around the bend – you are stabbing yourself with this knife.”

Asked why he didn’t blame Syria for allegedly toppling his government in his latest speeches, the caretaker premier said he sought to consolidate the state-to-state relations between the two countries.

“I didn’t want the improvement made in the ties to go backwards,” Hariri added.

The Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah brought down PM Saad Hariri’s government on January 12 over the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s imminent indictment which is widely expected to implicate Hezbollah members in the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri in 2005 .

Mikati, who was backed by Hezbollah and its March 8 allies including MP Walid Jumblatt and Mohammad Safadi, was appointed on January 25 by president Michel Suleiman as PM-designate to form and head the next cabinet , giving Hezbollah and its allies increased leverage in the country and provoking widespread protest.

Jumblatt and his PSP parliament members reportedly switched allegiance to Hezbollah’s PM candidate, following threats by Hezbollah.

Jumblatt, Mikati and Safadi were all elected on March 14 electoral tickets during the 2009 parliamentary elections

Last month U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton accused Hezbollah of hijacking Lebanon’s democracy.

The Lebanese “deserve to have their democracy respected and their voices heard, and not have one element of their society using the threat of force and the potential of violence to try to achieve political ends,” she said.

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Comments

  1. lebsyrian Avatar
    lebsyrian

    Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve, but DIDN’T! Too little too late for you Hariri.

    1. Constantin7 Avatar
      Constantin7

      I have to agree with lebsyrian here, as much as I support Hariri, he should have acted on his believes while in office and not try to please everybody and at the end achieve nothing and be kicked out. We need a leader with BALLS who dares to act and take bold decisions. I don’t see this leader on the Lebanese scene these days, other than Nasrallah with whom I am politically diametrically opposed.

      1. Fadi81 Avatar

        Dialogue is key, as long as we are openly discussing the illegal weapons in Lebanon we are one step closer to dealing with it. Its no longer a ” cliche’ ” to question publicly the intentions of Hezbollah and its arms..As for Hariri you cant blame him for trying, sometimes you need to stick your hand out and have it bit to realize what type of animal you’re dealing with.

  2.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve, but DIDN’T! Too little too late for you Hariri.

    1.  Avatar
      Anonymous

      I have to agree with lebsyrian here, as much as I support Hariri, he should have acted on his believes while in office and not try to please everybody and at the end achieve nothing and be kicked out. We need a leader with BALLS who dares to act and take bold decisions. I don’t see this leader on the Lebanese scene these days, other than Nasrallah with whom I am politically diametrically opposed.

      1.  Avatar
        Anonymous

        Dialogue is key, as long as we are openly discussing the illegal weapons in Lebanon we are one step closer to dealing with it. Its no longer a ” cliche’ ” to question publicly the intentions of Hezbollah and its arms..As for Hariri you cant blame him for trying, sometimes you need to stick your hand out and have it bit to realize what type of animal you’re dealing with.

  3. plomca Avatar

    Stop defending terrorist, who hide behind the veil of being the Resistance. We have seen it already, when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland rejected the Peace Accord between Catholics, Protestants, the UK and Ireland. When peace was negotiated, what did the IRA do, they sold drugs and robbed banks. And when they were questioned why they still kept their arms, their answer was, they did not recognize the peace between all parties. Basically they rejected democracy.

    Hezbollah days as the Resistance are over. Israel is no longer in the south and really don’t care to occupy it again. So what does Hezbollah do now, with all their weapons? They turn them on to their own people, the Lebanese.

    The Lebanese government has to negotiate with Hezbollah to disarm. If they refuse, then outlaw the party. As long Hezbollah has weapons, they wreck terror onto the Lebanese society and outside their borders. The government has to stop defending these terrorist.

  4. plomca Avatar

    Stop defending terrorist, who hide behind the veil of being the Resistance. We have seen it already, when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland rejected the Peace Accord between Catholics, Protestants, the UK and Ireland. When peace was negotiated, what did the IRA do, they sold drugs and robbed banks. And when they were questioned why they still kept their arms, their answer was, they did not recognize the peace between all parties. Basically they rejected democracy.

    Hezbollah days as the Resistance are over. Israel is no longer in the south and really don’t care to occupy it again. So what does Hezbollah do now, with all their weapons? They turn them on to their own people, the Lebanese.

    The Lebanese government has to negotiate with Hezbollah to disarm. If they refuse, then outlaw the party. As long Hezbollah has weapons, they wreck terror onto the Lebanese society and outside their borders. The government has to stop defending these terrorist.

  5.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Stop defending terrorist, who hide behind the veil of being the Resistance. We have seen it already, when the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Northern Ireland rejected the Peace Accord between Catholics, Protestants, the UK and Ireland. When peace was negotiated, what did the IRA do, they sold drugs and robbed banks. And when they were questioned why they still kept their arms, their answer was, they did not recognize the peace between all parties. Basically they rejected democracy.

    Hezbollah days as the Resistance are over. Israel is no longer in the south and really don’t care to occupy it again. So what does Hezbollah do now, with all their weapons? They turn them on to their own people, the Lebanese.

    The Lebanese government has to negotiate with Hezbollah to disarm. If they refuse, then outlaw the party. As long Hezbollah has weapons, they wreck terror onto the Lebanese society and outside their borders. The government has to stop defending these terrorist.

  6. josephphdman Avatar
    josephphdman

    those weapons are illegals so are the weapons of the palestinians no one in lebanon should carry weapons except the state the army and the governement officials ;
    now the claim of ha that they bought the weapons and they own them, it doe,ntchange the fact that those weapons are illegal
    it is the same if some one bought 51bs of illegal drugs for example yes he paid for them and he owns them but they are illegal the drugs should be taken away from him and he should arrested
    they cannot live or they should not live in a country unless they respect and obey the laws of that state

  7.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    those weapons are illegals so are the weapons of the palestinians no one in lebanon should carry weapons except the state the army and the governement officials ;
    now the claim of ha that they bought the weapons and they own them, it doe,ntchange the fact that those weapons are illegal
    it is the same if some one bought 51bs of illegal drugs for example yes he paid for them and he owns them but they are illegal the drugs should be taken away from him and he should arrested
    they cannot live or they should not live in a country unless they respect and obey the laws of that state

  8. Beiruti Avatar

    In 1991 the Taef Agreement, one of the agreements were that all militias turn their arms in for the Lebanese Army. Hezbollah refused to do so because they were fighting Israel in the south. Most people didnt care they just wanted to end this dreadful 15 year civil war. Looking at this 20 years after i wish we Lebanese didnt take this so lightly. All the militias should have waited and said “We will only turn our arms in until Hezbollah is willing to do so”. Now the Christians have no arms, Sunnis have no arms, Druze have no arms. Our Army is probaly one of the most disgraceful ones in the world, what the point of having an army when its on the verge of splitting everytime something gets heated up. I suggest we start arming ourselves just incase these dogs Hezbollah plan to come slaughter us and turn Beirut into Tehran or Shiraz. As much i hate Israel. I still hope Israel beats the sh!t out of you guys and finishes with you once and for all. You call yourself the party of God? More like the party of Lucifer.

  9.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    In 1991 the Taef Agreement, one of the agreements were that all militias turn their arms in for the Lebanese Army. Hezbollah refused to do so because they were fighting Israel in the south. Most people didnt care they just wanted to end this dreadful 15 year civil war. Looking at this 20 years after i wish we Lebanese didnt take this so lightly. All the militias should have waited and said “We will only turn our arms in until Hezbollah is willing to do so”. Now the Christians have no arms, Sunnis have no arms, Druze have no arms. Our Army is probaly one of the most disgraceful ones in the world, what the point of having an army when its on the verge of splitting everytime something gets heated up. I suggest we start arming ourselves just incase these dogs Hezbollah plan to come slaughter us and turn Beirut into Tehran or Shiraz. As much i hate Israel. I still hope Israel beats the sh!t out of you guys and finishes with you once and for all. You call yourself the party of God? More like the party of Lucifer.

  10. johnval Avatar

    It’s not too late! The majority of the Lebanese are with you on this as well as the rest of the western world. It’s time we acted like a normal country with one government, one army and one national agenda!

  11.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    It’s not too late! The majority of the Lebanese are with you on this as well as the rest of the western world. It’s time we acted like a normal country with one government, one army and one national agenda!

  12. Hariri, we are backing you entirely, we should protect all of lebanon, not the resistance, which aim to protect themself first… God bless you!

  13. Hariri, we are backing you entirely, we should protect all of lebanon, not the resistance, which aim to protect themself first… God bless you!

  14. Fauzia45 Avatar
    Fauzia45

    If a state is to exist and its government to function,there should be no armed militias!There should be one strong army that protects the country and its people!!

  15. Fauzia45 Avatar
    Fauzia45

    If a state is to exist and its government to function,there should be no armed militias!There should be one strong army that protects the country and its people!!

  16.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    If a state is to exist and its government to function,there should be no armed militias!There should be one strong army that protects the country and its people!!

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