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In a prominent position on the Lebanese political scene, the Free Patriotic Movement headed by former minister Gebran Bassil admitted, on Saturday, the failure of its understanding with Hezbollah regarding the “state-building project.”
The movement’s stance came on the 15th anniversary of the alliance with the party, or what is known as the “Mar Mikhael Agreement,” in reference to its location in a church in Haret Hreik.
On February 6, 2006, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and then-leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, (current President of the Republic) Michel Aoun, signed the “Understanding of Mar Mikhael”, which included a document with 10 articles , most notably “building the state and protecting Lebanon.”
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In its recent statement, the Free Patriotic Movement stated that “the understanding spared Lebanon the evils of division, but did not succeed in the project of building the state and the rule of law,” considering that “the annual anniversary of the signing is considered an opportunity to reflect on this understanding. ”
The statement reflects the fluctuation of the relationship between the two allies in the context of the escalating economic and political crisis in the country, which raised doubts about the fate of the alliance and the possibility of its dissolution given the return of the protests. popular against the ruling authority.
Here, the deputy head of the Free Patriotic Movement for Political Affairs, lawyer May Khreish, said in an interview with the Al-Hurra website: “The statement follows various positions made by Basil, as we previously announced the successful understanding with Hezbollah. on the one hand, and its failure on other points, among which the constructive clause stands out. The State and the fight against corruption ”.
A committee to evaluate the 15 years of the coalition
Khuraysh indicated that “our position is known to Hezbollah, and it is not new, and the only thing that matters is that we wanted to confirm our positions on the anniversary of the understanding”, revealing that “a joint committee of the two parties was formed to review the agreement. that has happened, in order to evaluate it 15 years ago. “”.
The deputy head of the movement stressed that “the alliance with Hezbollah is stable at a strategic level, but we do not agree with it in internal Lebanese affairs, especially that we want to fight corruption, but we did not find anyone to support us in the draft.” laws and in the presentation of claims “.
The fate of the alliance with Hezbollah
In response to a question about the fate of the alliance with Hezbollah, Khraish said: “In politics, there are always circumstances that govern alliances, but after the committee is formed there is a draft that will be discussed, combining various points, including the fight corruption, and based on what we achieve, the position is taken. “
He added: “The decision to break the alliance or maintain it is related to the results of the committee and its discussions. We must know what prevents the party from helping us in the project to build the State and fight corruption, knowing that its environment it is affected by that too. “
Khreish refused to include the movement’s recent position to impose economic sanctions on Bassil, saying: “If we wanted to break the alliance, this would have happened before the US decision.”
Last November, the Secretary of State of the United States, Mike Pompeo, announced the imposition of sanctions on Bassil, calling him “a corrupt person who abused his government positions.”
RT @SecPompeoLebanese leaders must listen to their people, implement reforms, and end corruption. Today, the United States imposed sanctions on Gebran Bassil, a corrupt Lebanese former foreign minister who abused his government positions. The people of Lebanon deserve the best.
– US Department of State (@USAbilAraby) November 6, 2020
An understanding based on common interests
On the other hand, Asaad Bishara, a journalist and political analyst, said, in an interview with Al-Hurra, that “Mar Mikhael’s understanding was based on mutual interests at the expense of the Lebanese interest.”
Bishara clarified that “Hezbollah wanted a Christian cover after the assassination of the former prime minister, Rafik Hariri, and accused him of carrying out the operation. As for Aoun, he took from this alliance a way to get to the presidency and obtain participation. parliamentary and ministerial seats. “
He pointed out that “a set of myths that have governed the Lebanese and Christian scene since the beginning of the agreement must be removed, the first of which is that the coalition aims to restore the rights of Christians while dedicating itself to safeguarding the interests of Michel Aoun and his family only, and secondly, the intention to build the state is a big lie, since homelands are not built “by an armed militia.”
“Aoun is afraid to break the alliance”
Regarding the possibility of breaking this alliance, Bishara stressed that “Aoun is more attached to Hezbollah, especially after the imposition of economic sanctions at the head of the movement (Basil), in addition to wanting to ensure his political heir (son-father-in-law) Gebran Bassil “.
The political analyst pointed out that “the president of the republic is afraid to walk away from the party, describing the position of this latest movement as a” limited-horizon maneuver to persuade Hezbollah and pressure it on the issue of adhering to all the president’s rules. ” demands for the government formation file, and paving the way for Basilio to become president after his uncle ”.
Opposing positions within the stream
The relationship between the party and the movement is witnessing tensions that decrease from time to time and intensify for some time, which has been evidenced in the hypothetical battles launched by its two popular bases on social media, and even leaders of the movement are criticizing the general political performance of Hezbollah.
A member of the political council of the Free Patriotic Movement, Walid al-Ashqar, told the Al-Hurra website: “Hezbollah does not support its ally, the movement, in the cases presented regarding corruption files and bills. in the drawers of the parliament, because the party representatives refused to approve them ”.
Al-Ashkar complained about the “political performance of the Shiite duo, Hezbollah and the Amal movement, especially when they impose their ministerial appointments half an hour before the formation of the government without arguing with anyone.”
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The movement’s deputy, Ziad Al-Aswad, appeared in an interview with Aoun-affiliated television “OTV” to direct a series of accusations against Hezbollah, blaming the latter and its weapons for the economic crisis in Lebanon.
Aswad said at the time: “You cannot carry gunpowder (referring to Hezbollah’s weapons) and its people are hungry.”
Lebanon is witnessing the return of popular protests denouncing the largest economic collapse in the country’s history, which is represented by the shortage of the dollar and the loss of the local currency more than half its value, in addition to the high rate of inflation. which places almost half of the population below the poverty line.
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