NNA – Head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, maintained, during a party gathering in Ghazir on Thursday, that the massive displacement of Syrians in to Lebanon had become more perilous than terrorism, refusing to depict Syrians as “dangerous.”
“A danger that is greater than terrorism is threatening Lebanon; not because its people are dangerous, but because its dimension is,” he said.
“Not every displaced Syrian is dangerous; 99% of them are good people. They are our brothers. But Lebanon cannot contain ten million Syrians, regardless of their goodness,” he underlined.
Bassil also called municipalities to assume their duty, “not out of discrimination or racism, but according to the Lebanese law.”
“Since out state is unable to do so, we have no choice but to ask the local authorities to assume their duty,” he added.
“You are the local authorities entitled to carry out your mission, backed by the locals in your towns; this is how your protect them and how your preserve your land; and this is how the state might understand that it has failed, and the international community realize that there are people assuming their duty in defending their lands,” he continued.
On a different note, Bassil indicated that national dialogue was futile since key issues were not tackled, such as coexistence.
“Accordingly, how to elect a president or to agree over an election law are not just details. To us, it is a matter of existence; it is whether they recognize our presence, or they don’t. It is not a matter of a person,” he said.
“It is our right whether to ensure quorum or not, since you do not respect our weigh,” he stressed.
“This is our right as per the Constitution. It is our right as per the National Pact as well,” he explained.
“We are governed by the will of the people, and we shall not do anything outside this popular will,” he concluded.
