Beirut: George Shaheen
Geagea meets Saad Al-Hariri
"Saudi Arabia is in the process of re-reading a lot of issues and watching carefully what is happening in the region, Caring for Gulf security, regarding movements that take place there. The Kingdom
relations with Lebanon are still the same. The KSA has always had good relations with national leaders, like, Camille Chamoun, Saeb Sala”, Samir Geagea, the Leader of The Lebanese Forces party, told the “Al-Rai” Kuwaiti Newspaper, during his visit to the KSA
About his expectations of the fall of the Syrian regime in 2012, he says that "his expectations are based on the panel data indicating the difficulty of its survival post-2012. Among these data is the fact that more than nine months after the beginning of the revolution, It is still growing and continuing despite the enormity of the price paid by the Syrian people, as well as , the changing balance of power, despite that the revolution is not armed. That is also based on the economic crisis because the government has to pay almost a billion dollars every month, for Al-Shabiha (militiamen) despite the financial support from Iran. There is a consensus entirely in all Western capitals, with the exception of Russia, that this system must fall.”
"In other stable Arab states, the climate is similar to what is prevalent in Western states about the need for this regime to fall. In addition, Turkey, which was until recently one of the Syrian regime major friends, with strategic cooperation associating the two countries, now takes another stand,” He adds.
About his discussions in Riyadh with Future Movement leader, Saad Al-Hariri, Geagea says, "We had a long session to deal frankly with all issues, including the stages preceding and following the fall of the regime of Bashar Al-Assad, in addition to other issues related to election law and elsewhere.”
On "March 14" project facing major shifts in the region, the Lebanese politician said, "We have a vision of how to arrange the Lebanese affairs in light of the events taking place in the region, particularly after the fall of the Syrian regime. This does not mean that our problems will end with the departure of Al-Assad regime, some are pure Lebanese and you need to be searched. We are holding consecutive meetings for the leaders of the March 14, to discuss what can be conceived. "
On Methods to approach Hezbollah weapon subject, away from Sunni-Shiite sensitivity, Geagea said, "In my opinion, serious dialogue in relation to Hezbollah's weapons will not begin before the fall of the Syrian regime, and then, there will be a possibility of a meaningful dialogue with the change of the balance of power in Lebanon and the region. The Lebanese government must have the strategic decision. Our stand on that was and will remain unchanging before and after the fall of the Syrian regime. "
"No one is able to shake the whole region anymore. In extreme cases, Syrian regime can provokes some security incidents here and there to buy itself some extra months. All these statements are desperate attempts to influence the public opinion, in the effort of the current regime to last, but it will take them nowhere,” He stated on threats of the Syrian Regime to shake the region with its fall.
And whether the defensive attack of the Parliament Member Sleiman Frangieh, for Defense Minister Fayez Al-Ghosn has convinced him, the Lebanese leader said, "Analysis that we hear for the words of the Defense Minister, are shorten to be wondering if there are fundamentalists in Lebanon? This is fraud and manipulation. Who says there are not? Aren’t there fundamentalists in the United States and Europe? Does that mean that the U.S. authorities should talk about them? They exist, but the authorities work on tracking them and when they are arrested, that should be announced. What happens here is the contrary. It is immorality and lack of modesty. "
He said Geagea "The Syrian regime wants to show the West that this is not a popular revolution and the fundamentalists are the ones behind the events taking place there. The biggest evidence are the films shown by the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem at the well-known press conference he held, which soon turned out to be fabricated. Amid all this, Al-Ghosn gives a statement declaring that Al Qaeda exists in Lebanon and its elements break into Syria, only two days before the occurrence of the two Damascus explosions. Then, the Syrian regime hastened to point fingers base on that."
He goes on, "for the Minister of Defense, to give statements in the favor of the Syrian regime harming the reputation of Lebanon, is not to be understood and accepted.”