Aoun blasts Iran intervention, says Berri trying to convince Hezbollah to disarm
On Tuesday, President Joseph Aoun shared a segment of his recent CNN interview on social media, issuing a sharp warning to Iran against interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs.
Aoun said in the clip that Lebanon seeks good relations with Iran "based on mutual respect not interference."
"The people of Lebanon are being killed, their houses are being destroyed to serve your interests not the interests of our county. You are destroying the country for the sake of your own interests," he said.
Aoun said the Washington talks aim to end the Israeli aggression and not to reach a peace deal. "It is a security agreement, not a peace deal. As far as peace is concerned, we are part of the Arab initiative and we are committed to it," he clarified.
Aoun said the Shiites in Lebanon are "fed up" but that the state must offer them an alternative and prove that it can protect them. "If (then) Hezbollah doesn't agree (to disarm), it will be held accountable before its own people," he said, arguing that Hezbollah was formed to liberate south Lebanon as a result of the 1982 Israeli invasion amid a total collapse of the state.
"Strong government institutions can overshadow non-state actors," and vise-versa, he said. "We need to strengthen the state and to end the state of hostilities in order to remove the root causes of the existence of Hezbollah's weapons."
Aoun said Hezbollah liberated south Lebanon in 2000 but made major strategic mistakes after Israel's withdrawal.
"I hate war," he said. "I've been wounded twice and I still carry shrapnel. I've seen the hardship of the war, I don't want my children and the Lebanese people to live this hardship." The CNN anchor added that Aoun still suffers from hearing damage sustained during close-range combat earlier in his military career.
Aoun said he is coordinating with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close Hezbollah ally. "We are in harmony and we are united behind ending this war", he said, adding that Berri's situation is very delicate.
"Berri is from the south and is seeing the south being destroyed. He's a man of state and he wants to end this war by peaceful means. As the sole representative of the Shiites, he has a job to do but we need to understand how sensitive his situation is. He can play a major role and he is doing it. He's trying to convince Hezbollah to disarm for the best interest of the Shiites and the country."
Source: Naharnet
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