The head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, confirmed that the movement supports the principle of negotiation with Israel as an alternative to war, but stressed the rejection of any agreement that does not preserve Lebanon’s rights or establish unilateral obligations.
Bassil said, in an interview with Al Jazeera, that “we have no problem with negotiating with Israel in principle,” stressing that “negotiation that restores rights and achieves peace is acceptable, but the surrender agreement is rejected.”
He added that the movement supports some of the contents of the framework agreement, but it has “major objections to the executive provisions,” considering that the agreement includes “many obligations on Lebanon, while there are no obligations on Israel,” and does not provide “any guarantees for Israel’s withdrawal,” and it “ignored the refugee issue.”
Bassil stressed the need for the framework agreement not to allow Israel to claim that it obtained a cover for its presence in Lebanon, stressing that “any path that leads to the removal of the Israeli presence and the achievement of state sovereignty, we are with it,” and that “the various paths can be combined in a way that achieves Lebanon’s interest.”
He stressed that “Lebanon must negotiate on its own behalf, and we do not want anyone to negotiate on its behalf.”
Regarding the weapons file, Bassil stressed that “the Lebanese state’s monopoly over decision-making and weapons on the ground” is the principle supported by the movement, warning at the same time that “assigning the Lebanese army to disarm Hezbollah will create a problem,” considering that “Israel wants to create a problem between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah.”
