...president of Leb, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah...
on Monday criticized Hezbollah for launching "treason accusations and threats through newspapers."
"I did not let them down, neither in the July War, nor in keenness on the resistance nor in the confrontation against ISIS (Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not
reallyMoslems....
group)," Aoun said in an interview with the journalist Sami Kleib, when asked whether a mending of ties between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement
Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
is possible.
"I have not said anything against them. Should my reward be treason accusations and threats through newspapers?" Aoun wondered.
Told that FPM chief Jebran Bassil has escalated his rhetoric in recent months, the ex-president said: "Jebran talks politics and we and (Hezbollah chief) Sayyed (Hassan) Nasrallah have repeatedly agreed that a political dispute does not negate the friendship."
"Is it reasonable to be accused of treason because we have merely rejected a supposed candidate?" the ex-president added.
Asked how the "problem" can be "overcome," Aoun said: "We did not start it and democracy stipulates the freedom of choice. The other party must make the first step towards the solution."
As for his recent meeting with Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir
Pencilneckal-Assad
Lord of the Baath...
and whether Damacus is pressing for Suleiman Franjieh’s election, Aoun said: "I did not feel any pressure and we only discussed this issue in a swift manner."
"The Syrian president has told me more than once that they do not interfere in the presidency and do not want to interfere," the president added.