MP Mozaya: Some parties have exploited helicopter shooting to attack Aoun

Source: Nowlebanon.com, 9-9-2008
Change and Reform bloc MP Chamel Mozaya said he hoped that Monday's Tripoli Memorandum would permanently solve the conflict in northern Lebanon, and would, in turn, spread reconciliation to the rest of the country. He said that his party supported any initiative that fostered rapprochement in Lebanon. "As long as we have a president elected by consensus and a national unity cabinet, we must reach a true national reconciliation," he said.
In an interview with NOW Lebanon on Tuesday, Mozaya said that MP Michel Aoun's position regarding last month's shooting of a military helicopter came as a response to the verbal attacks that had been launched against him. Mozaya said that the death of the "martyr" Captain Samer Hanna, who died in the incident, had caused Aoun "immense agony." Mozaya also said that Aoun's critics had been paid to attack him.
Mozaya discussed Aoun's recent demands that the military explain why the helicopter had been sent to Sojod, where the shooting took place, and said that some parties had exploited the incident to portray Aoun and those close to him as somehow responsible. "That is why Aoun demands the completion of the investigation, and to know all the details of the incident."
When asked whether the army needs to justify its day-to-day operations to political parties, or inform them of missions before carrying them out, Mozaya said that "in principle, the army does not need to justify its actions, unless there are specific incidents that demand discussion and coordination." He added that revealing the details of the helicopter incident, including who ordered it to fly to the area where it was shot, would be, at very least, useful to the family of Captain Hanna.
"It is important for us to support and strengthen the army, and supply it with adequate funding so that it can perform its duties, especially if the next war is against ‘terrorism,' as this could involve efforts that extend beyond Lebanon," Mozaya said. He said that in order wage such a battle the "army must be ready; it must have good intelligence, enough troops, and proper equipment, and before that can happen there must be a political decision."