Jumblat Sees Sfeir, Sitrida, Rejects Charges of Betraying Allies
Druze leader Walid Jumblat, bent anew on ousting President Lahoud from power, held extensive talks with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir behind closed doors in Bkirki Tuesday and came out to defend himself against charges of betraying his Christian opposition allies.
Jumblat surprisingly drove straight from Bkirki to Zouk Mosbeh and met with Sitrida Geagea, pledging in a joint news conference afterwards to escalate opposition efforts to free Samir Geagea from jail before the upcoming legislative elections.
"I am calling from this podium on the Progressive Socialist Party activists to turn out en masse at Wednesday's scheduled sit-near parliament and express solidarity with Lebanese Forces protestors to press for Samir Geagea's freedom," Jumblat said.
Jumblat has been showered with accusations that he had concluded an under-the-table deal with Hizbullah and Speaker Berri's Amal movement behind the back of opposition allies to hold the May-June elections under the existing electoral law that had been promulgated in 2000 under Syria's influence.
Denying any such deal, Jumblat said from Bkirki's press podium that he has been publicly, not secretly, advocating an opposition dialogue with Hizbullah and Amal as representative of the loyalist camp to map out a coexistence strategy for the post-Syria epoch.
"I want to point out that I have been calling for a dialogue with Hizbullah and Amal only and none of the other loyalist groupings," Jumblat stressed, excluding an assortment of other pro-Syrian factions such as the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Nasser Kandil, Abdul Rahim Murad and other individuals.
"If anyone else from the opposition has a better idea for a dialogue with others, let him come forth and say it. I may obey if the opposition as a whole so decides," Jumblat added.
He also asserted that the issue of Hizbullah's arms should be 'Lebanonized,' and resolved through inter-Lebanese dialogue bereft of any western pressure.
Jumblat said he advocated a strong participation of the opposition in Premier Mikati's new government to be able to enforce its policies. "But I had been overruled like I was overruled on the question of promptly ousting President Lahoud," Jumblat lamented.
"Now look at what we're consequently facing. Opportunists who have long been Syrian lackeys, not allies but lackeys, are trying to out-auction under the pretext of defending suppressed Christian rights," Jumblat said, obviously referring to Lahoud and his son-in-law Elias Murr, the defense minister, although he declined to name names.
Jumblat surprisingly drove straight from Bkirki to Zouk Mosbeh and met with Sitrida Geagea, pledging in a joint news conference afterwards to escalate opposition efforts to free Samir Geagea from jail before the upcoming legislative elections.
"I am calling from this podium on the Progressive Socialist Party activists to turn out en masse at Wednesday's scheduled sit-near parliament and express solidarity with Lebanese Forces protestors to press for Samir Geagea's freedom," Jumblat said.
Jumblat has been showered with accusations that he had concluded an under-the-table deal with Hizbullah and Speaker Berri's Amal movement behind the back of opposition allies to hold the May-June elections under the existing electoral law that had been promulgated in 2000 under Syria's influence.
Denying any such deal, Jumblat said from Bkirki's press podium that he has been publicly, not secretly, advocating an opposition dialogue with Hizbullah and Amal as representative of the loyalist camp to map out a coexistence strategy for the post-Syria epoch.
"I want to point out that I have been calling for a dialogue with Hizbullah and Amal only and none of the other loyalist groupings," Jumblat stressed, excluding an assortment of other pro-Syrian factions such as the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Nasser Kandil, Abdul Rahim Murad and other individuals.
"If anyone else from the opposition has a better idea for a dialogue with others, let him come forth and say it. I may obey if the opposition as a whole so decides," Jumblat added.
He also asserted that the issue of Hizbullah's arms should be 'Lebanonized,' and resolved through inter-Lebanese dialogue bereft of any western pressure.
Jumblat said he advocated a strong participation of the opposition in Premier Mikati's new government to be able to enforce its policies. "But I had been overruled like I was overruled on the question of promptly ousting President Lahoud," Jumblat lamented.
"Now look at what we're consequently facing. Opportunists who have long been Syrian lackeys, not allies but lackeys, are trying to out-auction under the pretext of defending suppressed Christian rights," Jumblat said, obviously referring to Lahoud and his son-in-law Elias Murr, the defense minister, although he declined to name names.
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