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Beirut – Omar Habanjar
The US sanctions against the Lebanese representative, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, looked like the last shot from US President Donald Trump’s pistol, and despite his wound to the heart of his political future, Basil tried yesterday, with him, and with him, the pact he protects and the popular movement to which he belongs, to get up, as if they were calling him. A “clawed bullet”, or sound, that travels and does not hurt, scratches the ear and does not hurt the heart, a bullet ricocheted towards its launcher, who fell from the intensity of the storm.
In his previously announced press conference, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement said yesterday: The road with the United States has always been difficult, and he addressed his speech to the American administration: I am neither a terrorist nor corrupt nor financially corrupt, and I am not a war criminal, just as people have changed, and I have not caused bloodshed in Lebanon, I do not own palaces, yachts or airplanes, and I have not covered the corrupt, and I have not received a bribe or commission in my history So where do you have the right to prosecute me for corruption and do you support the corrupt?
And he entered saying: I know the weak souls, and he betrayed them from his eyes one by one, and one of them occurred while he was outside and I will sue him before the jury of the movement for his betrayal of the principles and rules of the party, his leaders and to work to destroy their entity.
He called the United States sanctions a crime against him, and said: They are unjust, and I will resist them, and I will sue for any damages, and I am human and I will challenge everyone, and I will be sued before the American judiciary, because the Magnitsky Act is contrary to the principles of international law, which is the law of national sovereignty, which does not apply outside the United States.
He asked what is the interest of the United States in attacking the largest Christian party and bloc in Lebanon and the East? It is Israel’s interest in hitting the Christians in Lebanon.
He said: “We did not stab any ally or friend. We have not betrayed the” future “or the” forces “, and we cannot stab Hezbollah.
He added: “We do not agree with Hezbollah on basic and ideological issues, such as peace in the region and the existence of Israel. We have not seen Iran impose sanctions on us, nor have we seen Hezbollah oppress us.”
Bassil indicated that he had received warnings to strip him of diplomatic immunity, impose sanctions, and tempt and intimidate him to impose his conditions, and what he realized was that the source of the sanctions is outside the United States.
He added: We do not agree with the United States on many issues other than Hezbollah, and despite our disagreement with Iran, no sanctions were imposed or threatened on us.
He said: They visited me with long meetings and offered what they considered sufficient temptations of “stardom” in Lebanon and America and personal political gain for me and the movement, and the situation did not work out.
He continued: It happened on October 25 and I was looking at the sanctions being issued that day, but the Americans decided after that to give a second deadline for November 4, that is, the second day of elections in the United States, and they abandoned articles 2, 3 and 4, but limited his demand to announce the severance of the relationship with Hezbollah, but on a second basis. She is the carrot and the stick.
And he added: I also said that if we accept that the relationship with us develops in this way, we will become like others, that is, we agree to fulfill orders and instructions and become clients, while we want to be friends, then we are friends and not clients.
By the way, President Michel Aoun congratulated the President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, and expressed his hope that during his term he will restore balance in Lebanese-American relations and between the two friendly peoples.
In turn, the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, congratulated Biden, as well as Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, while Jumblatt linked his congratulations to Biden on the presidency with a photo that they gathered at Mukhtara Palace on the day that Biden he was vice president.
On the issue of government formation, he said: We are about to facilitate and expedite the formation of the government, we have not set conditions, we have not clung to a portfolio, we have left even our participation in the government or lack of it, and the form of participation is open.
The Maronite Patriarch, Bechara Al-Rai, declared from Tripoli that it was unacceptable for him to control the government and decide their team formation, while the others were marginalized.
In turn, the Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut, Elias Odeh, said in Sunday’s sermon: Wouldn’t the destruction of Beirut stop you? Do you want to bomb Lebanon?
The head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, asked to form a government, which is really new, or to go to early parliamentary elections, or both, but what is happening today is completely different. They are forming an old-fashioned government, refusing to go to early elections.
He said: “The forces are not allied with anyone, they are not breaking with anyone. And he added: I regret to say that we are going to deteriorate, and the possibilities of rescue in case the ruling clique changes.”
On the other hand, the Supreme Defense Council was summoned to a meeting chaired by President Michel Aoun on Tuesday to decide to close Lebanon against the Crown for a new term.
Corona’s latest victim yesterday, a well-known businessman, Pierre Fattoush, brother of former Zahle MP Nicolas Fattoush.
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