Exclusive interview with leader of the “Lebanese Forces”

Samir Geagea: “we are the West’s bastion against ISIS”

How do you assess the absence of a President of the Republic, and what are the consequences of

this absence?

• Samir Geagea: “The absence of a President of the Republic creates a void not only regarding the presidency itself, but also in the political life of the country. All government activities are paralyzed by this, and this institutional paralysis has several repercussions, both on the general situation in the country, as well as in economic matters. In this sense, the presidential vacuum is very serious and damaging, and our goal is to fill it as soon as possible.”

In addition to yourself, who are the other candidates for the Presidency of the Republic, and

what support do they enjoy?

• Samir Geagea: “General Aoun, despite not having officially announced his candidacy, is among the leading contenders. There are also other names on the table, but they have not been made official yet. Regarding domestic support, General Aoun enjoys more or less broad support from the March 8 Coalition [led by Hezbollah, Ed.], and I am supported by the March 14 Coalition.”

What point has dialogue between Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement reached?

• Samir Geagea: “This dialogue was to start some time ago, but, as the French say, ‘mieux vaut tard que jamais’, better late than never! We are trying to go beyond the existing political divisions, but it is not a simple matter, because the political programs of the two coalitions are in some cases diametrically opposed. Nevertheless, we are working actively to find points of agreement. I think that so far we have been successful, at least in the first phase, in the hope that in future we can reach agreements on other points.”

What are your thoughts on the general situation in Lebanon compared to that of neighboring

countries? What role is the Lebanese army playing?

• Samir Geagea: “If we consider what is happening in the region as a whole, especially in Iraq and Syria, we can say that the situation in Lebanon is still at sustainable levels, despite the tensions stemming from the absence of a President of the Republic. What we must do as Lebanese is keep the fire of tensions and conflicts in neighboring countries away from Lebanon. As for the Lebanese army, it is playing a key role in ensuring national security, in a context – the Middle East – that is generally unstable.”

What are the effects on the socio-economic situation in Lebanon?

• Samir Geagea: “It’s obvious that when there is not an active and dynamic State, there cannot be an active and dynamic economy. Our economy, instead of recording the growth rate of 7.9% that is necessary for a country like ours that has a public debt of 65 billion dollars, is now growing at 1.5-2%. If there were a President of the Republic, an active Government and a dynamic Parliament, this growth rate would reach 8-9%. I am not providing random figures. In the three years 2007-2009, despite all the crises that our country went through, until 2010, Lebanon registered a growth rate of between 7 and 9%. Today the situation has changed radically, and this is having a serious impact at the social level, and on people’s lives. The country is paralyzed by this, and that’s why elections for President of the Republic must take place as soon as possible.”

The Syrian crisis has had a negative impact on Lebanon, especially given the massive influx of Syrian refugees. How is this crisis managed?

• Samir Geagea: “The presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is a very, very heavy burden for our country. The problem is that this disaster could have been avoided considering the length of the border between Lebanon and Syria, and the Syrian crisis. The measures taken by the Lebanese government in the last five months have contributed, albeit minimally, to reducing the weight of this burden. An important fact that has helped ease the flow of Syrian refugees into Lebanon has been the absence of ad hoc refugee camps, therefore Syrian refugees are on Lebanese territory as ordinary foreign citizens. This, in addition to having reduced the influx of Syrian refugees into Lebanon, has prevented the recurrence of the same problem that existed with the Palestinian refugee camps many years ago. Despite the fact that the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is contained, this does not mean that it must continue, above all now that there are entire areas with Syrian refugees that are turning into areas in favor of the Syrian opposition, while others are on the side of the Al-Asad regime.

The Syrian crisis has had a negative impact on Lebanon, especially given the massive influx of Syrian refugees. How is this crisis managed?

• It would be beneficial for the government to begin asking these refugees to return to their cities, especially to those that have been liberated by the opposition in Syria, such as Idlib. There is no fear of repeating what happened in 1975 with the Palestinian refugees [the year the Lebanese civil war between Palestinian guerrillas and the Christian resistance began, Ed.]: at the time, the Palestinians had formed large groups within refugee camps, and turned them into training camps. As for the Syrian refugees, there are no refugee camps and therefore there are no training camps. Let us not forget that at that time all the Palestinian PLO leadership was in Lebanon, and after the black September of 1970, all Palestinian guerrilla leaders had taken refuge in Lebanon, and this helped to make the crisis, and later the war, explode. Instead, the leadership of the Syrian revolution is not in Lebanon, and cannot come to Lebanon, because no one would accept it. All these factors mean that the mistake that was made with the Palestinian refugees cannot be repeated.”

What are the repercussions of Hezbollah’s participation in the war in Syria?

• Samir Geagea: “The repercussions of Hezbollah’s participation in battles in Syria are very serious: the explosions and attacks that have taken place in Lebanon, and the attempt by the Syrian rebels to attack some Lebanese villages on the border are only a few examples. If, in the place of Hezbollah, the Lebanese army were deployed along the border, such incidents would not take place. We must also consider the impact of Hezbollah’s involvement in the long term. The main fallout will affect the Lebanese Shiite community, as the majority of the Syrian people will see it as a community that, in times of crisis, turned on it. In this way, Hezbollah has dragged Lebanese Shiites, and the entire population of Lebanon, into a very serious situation, and why? To defend a fierce and ruthless regime.”

Is the threat of ISIS in Lebanon real? What does the Christian community fear?

• Samir Geagea: “First it must be said that ISIS is the worst terrorist organization that history has ever known. However, it is precisely in its savagery and brutality that a weak point lies, and it is specifically because it acts in this way that it cannot spread and grow as an organization. Today the Middle East is in a state of chaos and tension, and this has allowed the organization to spread, albeit in a limited way. ISIS is a problem in Iraq, and it is even more so in Syria. To date, however, we cannot say that ISIS has come to Lebanon, and the most important thing we need to pay attention to today in Lebanon is preventing individuals from espousing the ISIS ideology. Unfortunately, Hezbollah’s actions are boosting this risk rather than reducing it. As for the Christian community, I do not think there is a direct threat from ISIS, because there is the Lebanese army and the national security apparatus to defend it, and this is what is happening in the north-east of the country, where the army is based near the border with Syria. We must not manipulate the threat of ISIS to terrorize the population and obtain a political advantage.”

In conclusion, how important do you consider the Christian presence in Lebanon to be? What role

could Western countries play to protect this presence?

• Samir Geagea: “The Christian presence in Lebanon is extremely important for the entire region, and even Muslim communities are aware of this. The Lebanese Christian community is a distinguishing factor and symbol of multi-culturalism for the region, which enriches its cultural background. Lebanon is different from all other Arab countries, because there is an active and incisive Christian community inside it. There are Christians in other Arab countries, but they are not as active as their Lebanese counterparts. For this reason, other Arab countries look with admiration and pride at Lebanon and its cultural, social and political life. What should Western governments do to defend this community? These governments have no real intention of doing so, there is a lack of political will, otherwise they would know what to do. Western governments make cold calculations, based on specific interests, and move where they have direct interests. When Iraq invaded Kuwait, all these governments rushed to defend it, not because they liked Kuwait more than Lebanon when it was attacked by Syria and Israel, but because they had more interests there. Unfortunately, these calculations are based on interests and not on principles.”

Source:• http://www.cosmonitor.com/site/2015/06/14/interv

iew-lebanese-forces-samir-geagea/

Useful links • TWITTER: https://twitter.com/DRSAMIRGEAGEA • FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/samirgeagea • INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/dr.samirgeagea • SLIDESHARE: https://www.slideshare.net/SamirGeagea • YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/c/SamirGeagealf • LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samirgeagea • VIMEO: https://vimeo.com/samirgeagea • TUMBLR: http://samirgeagea.tumblr.com/ • PINTEREST: http://www.pinterest.com/samirgeagea/ • LEBANESE FORCES PARTY: http://www.lebanese-forces.com/ • WEBSITES: http://www.samirgeagea.info/ http://www.samir-geagea.info/