Hezbollah Slams FPM Stance as Unwise, Inappropriate Behavior - Statement

Translated By Al-Ahed News

Commenting on the press conference held by Head of the Free Patriotic Movement Gebran Bassil, and the FPM latest statements, Hezbollah Media Relations issued the following statement:

Everybody in Lebanon knows how Hezbollah approaches the issues that are disputed among the friends and the allies, as it is keen to discuss things with them through special and direct meetings. And as we don’t want to get involved in any debate with any of our friends, despite Minister Bassil’s words that require discussion, yet we find ourselves concerned with commenting on two issues to make them clear to the public opinion.

The first issue:

Hezbollah didn’t promise anybody that the caretaking government won’t convene unless all its components agree to meet; in which Minister Bassil would consider that the government’s meeting is a break of the promise.

What we have previously and clearly said after consulting and agreeing with Presidents Berri and Mikati are the following points:

The caretaking government won’t convene but in urgent and necessary situations.

In case the government convened, its decisions will be made unanimously; we didn’t say the government won’t convene unless all its components agree on a meeting.

On the other hand, Hezbollah didn’t promise the FPM that it won’t attend an urgent cabinet session had the FPM been ministers absent.

Hence, the honest ones didn’t break any promise, and Minister Bassil would have mixed up things, and made a mistake when he accused those honest ones of committing what they didn’t.

The second issue:

We were invited to take part in the government’s session and we set a condition that the agenda of this meeting be limited with the necessary, urgent, and undelayable issues that won’t be solved without the council of ministers; and after examining and adjusting the articles, as well as making sure that the sole way to solve those issues, which are related to the people’s certain needs, is through the government’s assembly, we decided to participate, and we took part in it. And we have been informed by Minister Bassil that in case we participated and rejected any decision in the session, it would be respected given that the decision would be made unanimously by all the government’s components. Yet his stance was about the principle of holding a caretaking government meeting.

Giving political explanations to our participation in the session, such as being a hot message regarding the election of a president, pressuring a political party in the presidential elections, twisting anybody’s arm, or targeting the Christians’ role, or whatever… isn't but mere delusions. The size of the issue is what we have mentioned above.

Some FPM affiliates’ rush to use the language of betrayal, treachery, and breaking promises, especially among friends, is an unwise and inappropriate behavior. Our keenness on friendship and friends will remain dominating our handling of any reaction, especially that Lebanon today is in dire need to internal communication, dialogue, and discussions to find a way out of the difficult crises it is suffering from.