Lebanese Forces deputy chief MP George Adwan said on Sunday that the LF’s latest rapprochement with its long-time Christian rival the Free Patriotic Movement has the ability to preserve the Taef Accord – the country’s post-civil war constitution – and to prevent any attempt to impose a so-called constituent assembly.
“We have turned the page on the constituent assembly and we are committed to the Taef Accord which (FPM founder) General (Michel) Aoun has endorsed through its agreement with the LF,” said Adwan in an interview on MTV.
“Our first choice is building the state according to the ten points on which we have agreed with General Aoun,” he added.
But according to observers Aoun has already reneged on the agreement as far as the Lebanese army is concerned and Hezbollah’s role in Syria . The observers believe that Aoun is so desperate to become president he is willing to renege on any of the to points of the agreement just to be elected , and specially the one on Taef .
“Our army does not have the equipment or numbers to defend the border, so Hezbollah has graciously took on this task because our families are in danger.”
“We are currently living in a state of war on Lebanese soil and we need Hezbollah to defend the Lebanese border,” Aoun said.
Text of Aoun Geagea agreement in Arabic
In a surprise development Geagea endorsed Aoun’s presidential bid during a landmark ceremony in Maarab last month. The declaration followed months of rapprochement talks between the two parties and a so-called Declaration of Intent joint paper.
Some observers have suggested that Geagea’s move came in response to former Lebanese PM and Future Movement leader Saad Hariri’s proposal to nominate Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency although the LF chief has denied this.
“The presidential vote will remain shelved until someone convinces Franjieh to withdraw and we are facing a continued vacuum,” Adwan said on Sunday.
“Franjieh’s withdrawal would facilitate rapprochement between Future Movement and General Aoun,” he noted.
“The real candidate today is General Aoun and vacuum is the main enemy for all Lebanese,” Adwan warned.
“After the Maarab meeting, General Aoun has become the strongest Christian candidate for the presidency,” Adwan added.
“Together with General Aoun we have reached a common national place and the LF’s nomination of Aoun has nothing to do with the nomination of MP Franjieh,” he went on to say.
Moreover, Adwan stressed that the LF is “keen” on its ties with Future Movement and the Phalange Party, noting that it has never been “in disagreement with them.”
As for the relation with Hezbollah in light of the rapprochement with Aoun, Adwan described Hezbollah as an “essential component” of the country.
“We have to coexist with it despite the points of contention and the disagreements can only be resolved through dialogue,” Adwan added.
Commenting on Adwan’s remarks one observer told Ya Libnan” : “LF’s dream that Aoun will be honoring their agreement is illusionary “
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.