sammuel
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2017
- Messages
- 3,266
- Reaction score
- 2
- Country
- Location
Bassil blames his frustration on Hezbollah's ally, the Shiite Amal Movement
The leader of Lebanon's largest Christian party said on Sunday that its alliance with Hezbollah is no longer working.
In a televised speech by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil expressed frustration with the militant Shiite group, suggesting the 2006 alliance was in jeopardy.
“We reached an understanding with Hezbollah (in 2006) not with Amal,” Bassil said in an hour-long speech, according to The Associated Press.
Bassil blames his frustration on Hezbollah's ally, the Shiite Amal Movement, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. In recent months, Hezbollah backed Berri's Amal at the expense of the alliance.
“When we discover that the one making decisions in (this alliance) is Amal, it is our right to reconsider.”
Bassil also criticizes Hezbollah for not supporting his party on reform laws which he says aim to eliminate corruption and ensure decentralized financial policies.
“It is understandable why the Americans want to corner Hezbollah, but it is not understandable why (Hezbollah) wants to corner themselves,” Bassil said of Hezbollah’s alliance with Berri.
Hezbollah is designated a terrorist group by the United States and several other countries. Bassil was placed on a US sanctions list for corruption, which he claims was to pressure him to undo his alliance with Hezbollah.
“We don’t want to cancel or tear apart the (2006) memorandum of understanding,” Bassil said, according to AP. “But we want it to evolve because it no longer responds to the challenges, particularly economic and financial, facing us.”
www.i24news.tv
The leader of Lebanon's largest Christian party said on Sunday that its alliance with Hezbollah is no longer working.
In a televised speech by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil expressed frustration with the militant Shiite group, suggesting the 2006 alliance was in jeopardy.
“We reached an understanding with Hezbollah (in 2006) not with Amal,” Bassil said in an hour-long speech, according to The Associated Press.
Bassil blames his frustration on Hezbollah's ally, the Shiite Amal Movement, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. In recent months, Hezbollah backed Berri's Amal at the expense of the alliance.
“When we discover that the one making decisions in (this alliance) is Amal, it is our right to reconsider.”
Bassil also criticizes Hezbollah for not supporting his party on reform laws which he says aim to eliminate corruption and ensure decentralized financial policies.
“It is understandable why the Americans want to corner Hezbollah, but it is not understandable why (Hezbollah) wants to corner themselves,” Bassil said of Hezbollah’s alliance with Berri.
Hezbollah is designated a terrorist group by the United States and several other countries. Bassil was placed on a US sanctions list for corruption, which he claims was to pressure him to undo his alliance with Hezbollah.
“We don’t want to cancel or tear apart the (2006) memorandum of understanding,” Bassil said, according to AP. “But we want it to evolve because it no longer responds to the challenges, particularly economic and financial, facing us.”
i24NEWS
www.i24news.tv
