The leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea. Photo taken from the LF website.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Sunday criticized the government’s failure to issue an official response to a U.S. proposal aimed, he said, at “moving the country forward by ending Israeli occupation and aggression on the one hand, and disarming all illegal armed groups on Lebanese territory on the other.”
“For about two weeks, we’ve heard about American proposals to pull Lebanon out of the current deadlock, yet the Cabinet has not met, and no official position has been taken,” said Geagea, a longtime and vocal opponent of Hezbollah.
His comments came on the eve of the arrival in Beirut of U.S. envoy Thomas Barrack, who is expected to receive Lebanon’s formal response to Washington’s roadmap. The plan reportedly calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah — as well as all Lebanese and non-Lebanese armed factions — by November, across all Lebanese territory. It also requires Lebanon to submit a detailed executive mechanism to enforce the state’s monopoly on weapons.
In a statement, Geagea questioned the government's inaction: “Who is negotiating on behalf of Lebanon today? Is the state now waiting to hear Hezbollah’s position, when in fact it is Hezbollah that should be waiting for the government’s decision? Those working to sabotage this opportunity will bear full responsibility before the Lebanese people and before history.”
Qassem signals two options
Hezbollah has yet to issue its response to questions posed by the government and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, despite reported agreement between President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Berri on the need to restore the state’s exclusive control over weapons.
According to some local media outlets, Berri has conveyed a message to Hezbollah, warning: “If you do not respond, we will proceed without you.”
Earlier Sunday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem stated that the party is prepared for either of “two options: peace, state-building, and cooperation for growth and stability — or confrontation and resistance. But we will not surrender or compromise our rights and dignity.”
Geagea urged the government to convene “without delay” to draft a unified national response to the U.S. proposal — one that would “concretely, not just verbally, guarantee Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory and an end to aggression,” while enabling the “establishment of a real state that defends the interests of the Lebanese people and the future of their children.”
“Enough with playing games with Lebanon’s future to serve Iran’s interests in upcoming international negotiations,” he added.
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