The Marada Movement branded the Free Patriotic Movement-Lebanese Forces alliance as a “Christian Sykes-Picot Agreement” aimed at eliminating the other Christian political forces in the country.
“Their agreement is a Christian Sykes-Picot aimed at splitting gains between the FPM and the LF and attempting to impose what resembles a ‘political mandate’ on the Christian arena,” a Marada official who was not named was quoted as telling ad-Diyar newspaper in remarks published Thursday.
The Sykes-Picot Agreement was named after British diplomat Mark Sykes and French diplomat, François Georges-Picot.
It was a secret 1916 agreement between Britain and France and Russia ( as a minor party).
The agreement allocated to Britain control of areas roughly comprising the coastal strip between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan, Jordan, southern Iraq, and an additional small area that included the ports of Haifa and Acre, to allow access to the Mediterranean. France got control of southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Russia was to get Istanbul, the Turkish Straits and Armenia. The agreement effectively divided the Ottoman Arab provinces outside the Arabian peninsula into areas of British and French control and influence.
“They are trying to monopolize the Christian arena and prevent the emergence of a significant bloc that opposes them,” the official added.
“This exclusionary scheme will not be allowed to happen and it will be confronted,” the Marada official vowed.
“The FPM and the LF are seeking to implement the winner-takes-all system in the regions that they think are their strongholds while seeking to implement proportional representation in regions where they are weak,” the official charged.
The official pointed out that “ Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh who is not at all worried about winning e the parliamentary seats dedicated to the Zgharta district is keen on securing the best possible circumstances for the other Christian parties to engage in fair elections, from Akkar to Jezzine and from Zahle to Mount Lebanon.”
Like president Aoun Franjieh is allied with Hezbollah
The Marada official also stressed that Hezbollah will likely reject “any electoral law that threatens its Christian allies and friends who are not part of the FPM -LF agreement,” noting that “Hezbollah has no interest in seeing (LF leader) Samir Geagea winning a large number of Christian political seats under the excuse of his alliance with (President Michel) Aoun.”
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