Nassif Qazzi to Al-Manar Website:Syria Targeted… March 14 Playing with Fire

Hussein Assi

Lebanon’s UNSC Stance Hesitant, Scared No Signals Situation Heading towards Calm Syria’s Position in Region’s Equation Targeted Neutrality, Moderation Do Not Exist For Us March 14 Must Stop Incitement against Syria We’re Not Obliged to Anything regarding STL Resorting to Constitution Prevents Conflicts Free Patriotic Movement official and Philosophy professor at the Lebanese University Dr Nassif Qazzi said that latest bloody developments in Syria did not signal things were heading towards calm. He emphasized that the main target of the current crisis was the position of Syria within the Middle East equation and its role in consolidating its Arab identity, supporting the Resistance and not succumbing to the surrender policies. In an exclusive interview with Al-Manar Website, Qazzi said he might understand the circumstances of Lebanon and its current status-quo caused by wrong policies and deluded bets, but stressed that these factors did not justify the Lebanese diplomacy’s position, which he described as shy, hesitant, compliant, scared and inferior, given that this position reflected in principle the Lebanese official stance. While urging the March 14 forces to stop playing with fire at the Lebanese-Syrian border and refrain from inciting against Syria, Qazzi undermined the press reports of ministerial conflicts over the clause related to financing the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. He highlighted that resorting to the constitution and laws would be enough to avoid any kind of conflicts. He noted that Lebanon was not obliged to anything in relation with this tribunal, given that its formation did not respect the constitutional process. THE RUSSIAN AND CHINESE SHINING POSITION FPM official Dr Nassif Qazzi told Al-Manar Wesbite that he did not rule out the possibility that the group of the so-called power states, mainly the United States of American and the European Union countries, resorted to all non-democratic tools to achieve their goals. He pointed to the violence taking place in Syria since a while, as well as to the attempts made by these states to issue discretionary international resolutions, despite the shining Russian and Chinese vetoes within the United Nations Security Council. Qazzi highlighted that the recent bloody incidents in Syria did not signal that things were heading towards calm, and noted that the main target of the Syrian crisis was not only the regime, the ruling party and the President, but also the position of Syria in the Middle East equation and its role in consolidating its Arab identity, supporting the Resistance and not succumbing to the surrender policies. He recalled how Syria was the only state in the region to refuse compromises from Camp David to Geneva. “Whoever thinks that he was able to change the reality of a state, or a nation, with the support of external forces, must be mistaken,” Qazzi said. NEUTRALITY SYNONYMOUS TO NO POSITION Answering a question about the Lebanese stance in the UNSC, Qazzi said he might understand the circumstances of Lebanon and its current status-quo caused by wrong policies and deluded bets, but stressed that these factors did not justify the Lebanese diplomacy’s position, which he described as shy, hesitant, compliant, scared and inferior, given that this position reflected in principle the Lebanese official stance. Qazzi said the current government should seek to establish a new approach in dealing with our various causes. He hinted that the government could set a clear political vision towards the essential political causes, as well as the social, financial, educational and health causes. “We’re not with neutrality… as we believe it’s a no position,” he said. “Neutrality, just like centrality, is not included in our dictionary when we speak of national causes,” he went on to say. LET MARCH 14 STARTS BY ITSELF! Commenting on the latest stance made by the so-called March 14 General Secretariat in which it denounced what it called the Syrian ‘violations’ to the Lebanese sovereignty and urged the Lebanese state to take action, the FPM official wondered why the March 14 forces did not start by themselves, and stop incitement against Syria, especially that Syria had left Lebanon and that diplomatic relations were established between both countries. While also wondering why these forces did not stop playing with fire at the Lebanese-Syrian border, he found strange claims of fears and concerns expressed by these forces. “Are we really in front of serious concerns or, instead, compliance with international resolutions with do not serve neither Syria nor Lebanon’s interest?” he asked. WE’RE NOT COMMITTED TO STL Turning to the internal policies, Qazzi tackled the issue of the so-called Special Tribunal for Lebanon in light of the FPM absolute refusal to finance it, under any means. Asked in this context about his party’s considerations, despite the fact that President Michel Sleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati declared more than once that the government was committed to the tribunal, he said that the FPM leader MP Michel Aoun has clarified his position when he recalled that the agreement to create the tribunal did not respect the constitutional norms. Thus, Qazzi concluded, Lebanon was not obliged to anything in relation with this tribunal. Answering a question on whether it was right to say that the STL financing clause was threatening the whole cabinet solidarity, Qazzi said that resorting to the constitution and laws was enough to avoid any potential conflict. He explained that there were many sensitive issues expected to be raised in the imminent future, such as the general finance, OGERO, Internal Security Forces, Information Branch, in addition to the STL. What should be done to avoid conflicts in dealing with any of these causes is to abide by the constitution and not to cover up the violations. “Everything else is apt to discussion,” he concluded.

Source: Website Team

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