Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad said that Lebanon will never see stability as long as its government defies Syrian hegemony, and choses to seek independence from corrupt regimes. Assad accused Lebanon's March 14 majority of choosing to "side with Israel" instead of taking the "Arab path", and that of resistance.In an interview published on Thursday, Assad said of the neighboring nation where it was powerbroker for nearly three decades: "It is impossible to build a relationship with some parties who in Lebanon ... are close to Israel, submit themselves to foreign countries and do not believe in Lebanon." He told the Tunisian daily al-Shuruk in an interview: "Most of the forces who hold power in Lebanon have adopted this position which rebounds on Syrian-Lebanese relations."
Lebanon has been in crisis for months since pro-Syrian ministers pulled out of the government of Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, creating political paralysis. Assad said "there have always been in Lebanon forces attached to the Arab (identity). But there are also forces which, since Lebanon's creation and even before, have tied their fate to the West, thus putting (their country) in danger. These forces link Lebanon's fate to that of regional conflicts, which signifies that Lebanon will not know stability in the near future."
Referring to the agreement which ended Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war, the Syrian leader said: "Lebanon knew stability after the Taef accord when it chose the Arab path and resistance against Israel. The day it went back on this choice it again experienced instability."
Under the Taif agreement, all factions disarmed their militias with the exception of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah which fought last year's war with Israel.