Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces party, was interviewed about the political situation in Lebanon. He expressed concerns that the lack of a president is paralyzing the country's government and economy. While he and General Aoun are both candidates, their coalitions have opposing views. Geagea stated that dialogue between the Lebanese Forces and Free Patriotic Movement has made some initial progress but remains difficult. He also commented on the roles of the Lebanese army, impact of Syrian refugees, and importance of protecting Lebanon's Christian community.

1. Exclusive interview with leader of the
“Lebanese Forces”
Samir Geagea: “we are the West’s bastion against ISIS”

2. How do you assess the absence of a President of the
Republic, and what are the consequences of this absence?
• Samir Geagea: “The absence of a President of the
Republic creates a void not only regarding the
presidency itself, but also in the political life of the
country. All government activities are paralyzed by
this, and this institutional paralysis has several
repercussions, both on the general situation in the
country, as well as in economic matters. In this
sense, the presidential vacuum is very serious and
damaging, and our goal is to fill it as soon as
possible.”

3. In addition to yourself, who are the other candidates for
the Presidency of the Republic, and what support do they
enjoy?
• Samir Geagea: “General Aoun, despite not having
officially announced his candidacy, is among the
leading contenders. There are also other names on
the table, but they have not been made official
yet. Regarding domestic support, General Aoun
enjoys more or less broad support from the March 8
Coalition [led by Hezbollah, Ed.], and I am
supported by the March 14 Coalition.”

4. What point has dialogue between Lebanese Forces and the
Free Patriotic Movement reached?
• Samir Geagea: “This dialogue was to start some
time ago, but, as the French say, ‘mieux vaut tard
que jamais’, better late than never! We are trying to
go beyond the existing political divisions, but it is not
a simple matter, because the political programs of
the two coalitions are in some cases diametrically
opposed. Nevertheless, we are working actively to
find points of agreement. I think that so far we have
been successful, at least in the first phase, in the
hope that in future we can reach agreements on
other points.”

5. What are your thoughts on the general situation in
Lebanon compared to that of neighboring countries? What
role is the Lebanese army playing?
• Samir Geagea: “If we consider what is happening in
the region as a whole, especially in Iraq and Syria,
we can say that the situation in Lebanon is still at
sustainable levels, despite the tensions stemming
from the absence of a President of the Republic.
What we must do as Lebanese is keep the fire of
tensions and conflicts in neighboring countries
away from Lebanon. As for the Lebanese army, it is
playing a key role in ensuring national security, in a
context – the Middle East – that is generally
unstable.”

6. What are the effects on the socio-economic situation in
Lebanon?
• Samir Geagea: “It’s obvious that when there is not an
active and dynamic State, there cannot be an active
and dynamic economy. Our economy, instead of
recording the growth rate of 7.9% that is necessary for a
country like ours that has a public debt of 65 billion
dollars, is now growing at 1.5-2%. If there were a
President of the Republic, an active Government and a
dynamic Parliament, this growth rate would reach 8-9%. I
am not providing random figures. In the three years
2007-2009, despite all the crises that our country went
through, until 2010, Lebanon registered a growth rate of
between 7 and 9%. Today the situation has changed
radically, and this is having a serious impact at the social
level, and on people’s lives. The country is paralyzed by
this, and that’s why elections for President of the
Republic must take place as soon as possible.”

7. The Syrian crisis has had a negative impact on Lebanon,
especially given the massive influx of Syrian refugees. How
is this crisis managed?
• Samir Geagea: “The presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon is
a very, very heavy burden for our country. The problem is that
this disaster could have been avoided considering the length
of the border between Lebanon and Syria, and the Syrian
crisis. The measures taken by the Lebanese government in the
last five months have contributed, albeit minimally, to
reducing the weight of this burden. An important fact that has
helped ease the flow of Syrian refugees into Lebanon has
been the absence of ad hoc refugee camps, therefore Syrian
refugees are on Lebanese territory as ordinary foreign citizens.
This, in addition to having reduced the influx of Syrian refugees
into Lebanon, has prevented the recurrence of the same
problem that existed with the Palestinian refugee camps
many years ago. Despite the fact that the presence of Syrian
refugees in Lebanon is contained, this does not mean that it
must continue, above all now that there are entire areas with
Syrian refugees that are turning into areas in favor of the Syrian
opposition, while others are on the side of the Al-Asad regime.

8. The Syrian crisis has had a negative impact on Lebanon,
especially given the massive influx of Syrian refugees. How
is this crisis managed?
• It would be beneficial for the government to begin asking
these refugees to return to their cities, especially to those that
have been liberated by the opposition in Syria, such as Idlib.
There is no fear of repeating what happened in 1975 with the
Palestinian refugees [the year the Lebanese civil war between
Palestinian guerrillas and the Christian resistance began, Ed.]:
at the time, the Palestinians had formed large groups within
refugee camps, and turned them into training camps. As for
the Syrian refugees, there are no refugee camps and
therefore there are no training camps. Let us not forget that at
that time all the Palestinian PLO leadership was in Lebanon,
and after the black September of 1970, all Palestinian guerrilla
leaders had taken refuge in Lebanon, and this helped to
make the crisis, and later the war, explode. Instead, the
leadership of the Syrian revolution is not in Lebanon, and
cannot come to Lebanon, because no one would accept it.
All these factors mean that the mistake that was made with
the Palestinian refugees cannot be repeated.”

9. What are the repercussions of Hezbollah’s participation in
the war in Syria?
• Samir Geagea: “The repercussions of Hezbollah’s
participation in battles in Syria are very serious: the
explosions and attacks that have taken place in
Lebanon, and the attempt by the Syrian rebels to attack
some Lebanese villages on the border are only a few
examples. If, in the place of Hezbollah, the Lebanese
army were deployed along the border, such incidents
would not take place. We must also consider the impact
of Hezbollah’s involvement in the long term. The main
fallout will affect the Lebanese Shiite community, as the
majority of the Syrian people will see it as a community
that, in times of crisis, turned on it. In this way, Hezbollah
has dragged Lebanese Shiites, and the entire population
of Lebanon, into a very serious situation, and why? To
defend a fierce and ruthless regime.”

10. Is the threat of ISIS in Lebanon real? What does the
Christian community fear?
• Samir Geagea: “First it must be said that ISIS is the worst terrorist
organization that history has ever known. However, it is
precisely in its savagery and brutality that a weak point lies,
and it is specifically because it acts in this way that it cannot
spread and grow as an organization. Today the Middle East is
in a state of chaos and tension, and this has allowed the
organization to spread, albeit in a limited way. ISIS is a problem
in Iraq, and it is even more so in Syria. To date, however, we
cannot say that ISIS has come to Lebanon, and the most
important thing we need to pay attention to today in
Lebanon is preventing individuals from espousing the ISIS
ideology. Unfortunately, Hezbollah’s actions are boosting this
risk rather than reducing it. As for the Christian community, I do
not think there is a direct threat from ISIS, because there is the
Lebanese army and the national security apparatus to defend
it, and this is what is happening in the north-east of the
country, where the army is based near the border with Syria.
We must not manipulate the threat of ISIS to terrorize the
population and obtain a political advantage.”

11. In conclusion, how important do you consider the
Christian presence in Lebanon to be? What role could
Western countries play to protect this presence?
• Samir Geagea: “The Christian presence in Lebanon is extremely
important for the entire region, and even Muslim communities are
aware of this. The Lebanese Christian community is a
distinguishing factor and symbol of multi-culturalism for the region,
which enriches its cultural background. Lebanon is different from
all other Arab countries, because there is an active and incisive
Christian community inside it. There are Christians in other Arab
countries, but they are not as active as their Lebanese
counterparts. For this reason, other Arab countries look with
admiration and pride at Lebanon and its cultural, social and
political life. What should Western governments do to defend this
community? These governments have no real intention of doing
so, there is a lack of political will, otherwise they would know what
to do. Western governments make cold calculations, based on
specific interests, and move where they have direct interests.
When Iraq invaded Kuwait, all these governments rushed to
defend it, not because they liked Kuwait more than Lebanon
when it was attacked by Syria and Israel, but because they had
more interests there. Unfortunately, these calculations are based
on interests and not on principles.”

12. Source:
• http://www.cosmonitor.com/site/2015/06/14/intervi
ew-lebanese-forces-samir-geagea/

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