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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Geagea Visits Tashnag HQ |
| 2010-11-26 |
| [An Nahar] Lebanese Forces A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb... leader Samir Geagea ... Geagea was imprisoned by the Syrians and their puppets for 11 years in a dungeon in the third basement level of the Lebanese Ministry of Defense. He was released after the Cedar Revolution in 2005 ... on Thursday paid an unprecedented visit to the headquarters of the Tashnag Party Socialist party representing the Armenian diaspora in Leb. They're Christians, but they try to remain neutral, which means they get shot at without shooting back... in Burj Hammoud for talks with the officials of the largest Armenian party in Leb. Geagea was accompanied by senior LF officials -- Culture Minister Salim Warde, MP Farid Habib, member of the Executive Committee of the Lebanese Forces Eddy Abi al-Lamaa and LF Beirut Area Coordinator Imad Wakim. "Communication between the LF and Tashnag is not something new, contrary to what many believe, and it has been going on since tens of years," Geagea said after the visit. "We are determined to maintain this communication, and so is Tashnag's general-secretariat, that's why there have been mutual visits with the aim of discussing the general situations. Today we discussed the general situations and condemned the festivities that took place at the Martyrs Square and the incident that involved MP Hagop Pakradounian," Geagea added. Around 5,000 members of Leb's Armenian community gathered Thursday in downtown Beirut to protest a two-day official visit by Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Police clashed with protesters when they tried to tear up a billboard welcoming the Turkish guest at the rally's site. Leb is home to a 140,000-strong Armenian community, mostly made up of the descendants of those who survived the genocide in eastern Anatolia under Ottoman rule almost a century ago. Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin were systematically killed between 1915 and 1917 as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart. Turkey rejects the genocide label and argues that 300,000-500,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife when Armenians took up arms against their Ottoman rulers and sided with invading Russian troops. "We agreed that any dispute must remain political. We enjoy a real democratic regime in this region and we can use all forms of democratic expression and it's not acceptable to use any other means," Geagea said. Asked about LF's stance on Erdogan's visit, Geagea added: "This is an official visit regardless of our stances and some parties' stances, which we sympathize with and understand; however, it can't be dealt with except as a visit by a prime minister to another state." In the same context, Geagea hoped "all foreign leaders would deal with Leb as an independent, sovereign nation." "This was our principle (in our dispute) with the Syrians and the core of our disagreement and this policy applies to all other countries," the LF leader added. On Wednesday, Geagea noted that the ongoing Saudi-Syrian efforts to contain tensions in Leb over a U.N.-backed probe into the murder of ex-PM Rafik Hariri "have not achieved any progress since two weeks." In an interview with Agence France Presse, Geagea added: "Almost everything is deadlocked because the stances are at odds." Geagea went on to say that "the Saudi suggestion wants us to prepare for containing STL's indictment and its repercussions, and the Syrians are insisting on halting or postponing the issuance of the indictment." The LF leader revealed that he will this week ask President Michel Suleiman and Premier Saad Hariri to convene the Cabinet "in order to tackle people's living conditions." "If the Hizbullah-led camp wants to boycott the session, let it bear the responsibility for crippling the country," Geagea added. |
| Posted by:Fred |