Sami Gemayel: We Refuse to Be Held Hostage by Hezbollah

Gemayel speaks during an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.
Gemayel speaks during an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.
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Sami Gemayel: We Refuse to Be Held Hostage by Hezbollah

Gemayel speaks during an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.
Gemayel speaks during an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat.

The head of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, Sami Gemayel, warned against some opposition parties resorting to a settlement with Hezbollah in the upcoming presidential elections, noting that the past six years of President Michel Aoun’s reign “led to a complete collapse.”

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Gemayel said: “We have a basic problem called Hezbollah’s weapon, so let us confront it and stop this procrastination.”

“We are not ready to remain hostages to Hezbollah, and for the state to remain hostage to Hezbollah’s decisions and choices that have nothing to do with Lebanon,” he added.

He also called for placing Hezbollah’s weapons on a “real dialogue table.”

The effort to agree on a single name for the presidency “depends on the ability of the opposition, parties and representatives to surpass personal interests and narrow accounts, and agree on a single strategy to fight this battle,” according to the Lebanese deputy.

“For me, that's the key,” he said. “Names are not important, but the agreement on a unified strategy is… We are supposed to maintain communication with the aim of reaching a strategy…”

Gemayel denied the presence of discrepancies within the opposition about the specifications of the new president.

“We want a president who can be entrusted with the sovereignty of this country; a president who is reformist and capable of action, and who unites all Lebanese,” he underlined.

Gemayel stressed that Hezbollah has been waging an open battle for more than 17 years, to gain control over the country.

He went on to say: “In 2016, [Hezbollah] succeeded in imposing its candidate on the presidency and enforcing a settlement that was accepted by the majority of the political parties, except for us.”

This led to the complete collapse of the country at the economic, social, health and education levels, according to the deputy, who asked: “Will we continue with this approach? Can Lebanon bear that Hezbollah name a new president again for the next six years? Can the Lebanese people tolerate such matters? Is it acceptable for Lebanon to remain isolated from its Arab surroundings and from the international community?”

However, Gemayel underlined the presence of a “real opportunity”, but reiterated that it would require the unity of all opposition blocs.

“Today, we must all have the ability to go beyond our personal considerations to achieve this goal... We [the Kataeb]… believe that our role is to serve Lebanon, not ourselves. For this, we always look to the interest of the country and the cause we are defending,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Nevertheless, Gemayel said he believed that it was still too early to judge the success of this movement, because serious contacts were underway.

He continued: “It is true that [Hezbollah] does not have the majority, and it is also true that the opposition does not have a majority, and therefore we must be humble and communicate together, and put all special considerations aside.”

According to Gemayel, it is still early to talk about a presidential vacuum.

He said in this regard: “We are two months away from the presidential elections. We are still deliberating together on names and discussing each of the possible scenarios to be adopted in our strategy. When we reach the last days of President Aoun’s term, then we will see what the electoral situation and balances will be like… Then we'll talk about this issue.”



Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
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Lebanon’s President to Asharq Al-Awsat: Decision of War and Peace Lies Solely with the State

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the interview with Asharq Al-Awsat's editor-in-chief Ghassan Charbel. Photo: Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says he wants to build a state that has the decision of war and peace and stressed he is committed to implementing Security Council Resolution 1701.

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, his first since his election in January, Aoun said: “Our objective is to build the state, so nothing is difficult. And if we want to talk about the concept of sovereignty, its concept is to place the decisions of war and peace in the hands of the state, and to monopolize or restrict weapons to the state.”

“When will it be achieved? Surely, the circumstances will allow it,” he told the newspaper.

Asked whether the state will be able to impose control over all Lebanese territories with its own forces and without any military or security partnership, he said: "It is no longer allowed for anyone other than the state to fulfill its national duty in protecting the land and the people ... When there is an aggression against the Lebanese state, the state makes the decision, and it determines how to mobilize forces to defend the country."

He also stressed his full commitment to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701. “The state and all its institutions are committed to implementing the Resolution” on the “entire Lebanese territories,” Aoun said.

On the possible adoption of a defense strategy, Aoun insisted that even if a state does not have enemies on its borders, it should agree on a national security strategy that not only deals with military goals but also economic and fiscal objectives.

“We are tired of war,” he said in response to a question. “We hope to end military conflicts and resolve our problems through diplomatic efforts,” he said.

Asked whether he was surprised that the Israeli army has stayed at five points in south Lebanon, Aoun said that Israel should have committed to the ceasefire agreement that was sponsored by the US and France and should have withdrawn from all areas it had entered during the war with Hezbollah.

“We are in contact with France and the US to pressure Israel to withdraw from the five points because they don’t have any military value,” he said.

“With the emergence of technologies, drones and satellites,” an army does not need a hill for surveillance, Aoun added.

"Saudi Arabia has become a gateway for the region and for the whole world. It has become a platform for global peace,” he said when asked why he has chosen to visit the Kingdom on his first official trip abroad.

“I hope and expect from Saudi Arabia, especially Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, that we correct the relationship for the benefit of both countries and remove all the obstacles ... so that we can build economic and natural relations between us.”

He said that during his visit he plans to ask Saudi Arabia to revive a grant of military aid to Lebanon.

On relations with the Syrian authorities, Aoun said he intends to have friendly ties the new Syrian administration and that one of the pressing issues is to resolve the problem of the porous border between the two countries.

“There are problems on the border (with Syria) with smugglers. Most importantly, the land and sea border with Syria should be demarcated,” he said.

Aoun also called for resolving the problem of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. “The Syrian state cannot give up on 2 million citizens who have been displaced to Lebanon.”

The refugees should return because “the Syrian war ended and the regime that was persecuting them collapsed,” he said.