Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Thursday stressed that Bkirki will not bow in the face of “threats,” in an apparent reference to the latest remarks by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah about the “internationalization” of the Lebanese crisis.
“Bkirki has never been intimidated, even during the era of (ruthless Ottoman military ruler) Djemal Pasha, when the patriarch refused to change his stance. That’s why all these bravados will not lead to anything,” Geagea said in an interview on Radio Liban Libre.
Turning to the row between President Michel Aoun and PM-designate Saad Hariri over the formation of the new government, Geagea accused the president’s camp of seeking to inflame sectarian sentiments through focusing on the president’s jurisdiction and the “rights of Christians.”
“Which Christian rights? The rights of Christians will be fulfilled when a strong state rises. General Aoun was elected president on the basis that he is a strong president who would embark on building a strong state, but what actually happened is that the state has become weaker than ever before,” the LF leader added.
“The rights of Christians are achieved through the rise of a real state in Lebanon, a state that would preserve their sovereignty, freedom and dignity,” he said.
Criticizing those who are “fighting a fierce battle amid the current crisis that is burdening every Lebanese citizen,” Geagea said some are engaged in a major battle aimed at “paving the way for MP Jebran Bassil to become the next president.”
“These are not the rights of Christians,” Geagea stressed.