Michel Aoun greeting his supporters who came to cheer him on the last day of his presidential term, Oct. 30, 2022 in Baabda. (Credit: Joao Sousa/L'Orient-Le Jour)
BEIRUT — Former Lebanese president Michel Aoun gave an interview to OTV on Wednesday evening during which he said it is "unreasonable to boycott a community" in the framework of the presidential negotiations, in reference to Hezbollah.
The Iran-backed Shia party recently called on Christian leaders to "accept what's suggested to them" and support the candidacy of Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh.
(Gebran Bassil, Aoun's son-in-law and head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), also criticized Hezbollah in a wide-ranging interview with the daily al-Shark al-Awsat published Wednesday night.)
Isolation of Christians and criticism of Hezbollah
"It is unreasonable to boycott a confession or to elect a president without it," said Michel Aoun on Wednesday evening.
The two main Christian parties, the FPM and its rival the Lebanese Forces (LF), categorically refuse to support Frangieh, who is supported by Hezbollah. On several occasions, the Shiite party has issued an ultimatum to Christian leaders regarding the election of the leader of Zghorta.
Aoun also criticized those "waiting for a confirmation from abroad" to elect his successor, saying that "a president elected by foreign powers will not be an independent president."
He called for the negotiations around the election to focus "on the reforms" necessary for the recovery of country, rather than on "the names of presidential candidates." Aoun also criticized the internal blockages in the political scene and stated that "people who obstruct are now the norm within the power."
Aoun's son in law Gebran Bassil, said "the problem is that everyone adopts a classic behavior though the circumstances are exceptional, including the mumanaa [Hezbollah]."
"They [Hezbollah] consider that they won in the region and want to consecrate their victory in Lebanon. But does this have a beneficial influence on the internal situation of the country?" he asked.
"We want a homeland that resists, but not only by arms ... What does victory over Israel matter when the country is emptied of its people?" Gebran Bassil said, indicating however that contact with the mumanaa "is not cut off."
"The important thing is that this contact is established in order to achieve a result, not for everyone to camp on their positions," Bassil continued. "Any divorce [from Hezbollah] has negative consequences on the country."
