Franjieh: LF is violated by Geagea, should make concessions to achieve reconciliation

Source: nowlebanon.com, 21-10-2008

Marada leader Suleiman Franjieh said that it was critical to maintain the conditions he had previously set for reconciliation in the Christian community, "which would be a relief to our families and the families of our martyrs." Franjieh said that for any reconciliation to occur, preparations were required. "We insist that reconciliation takes place according to our conditions, or else we are not in a rush at all to offer a gift to [Lebanese Forces leader] Samir Geagea or to give him an innocence certificate, because whoever needs an innocence certificate should offer concessions to get it," he said.

Franjieh told journalists on Tuesday that reconciliation was being discussed regularly, and that LF officials were saying "it would happen on this day and at this time and they were inventing stories about meetings between LF and Marada representatives."

"When a meeting happens it will be public, and it will not be a secret," he said.

Asked about Geagea's apology in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Saturday, Franjieh said, "They told me this, and we were told that he included us this time in his apology, knowing that he had previously said that the apology did not include us and he apologized to the people, then he apologized to us. Before this, he said that he apologized, but not for performing his national duty; that is why we insist on having a clear statement about the meeting."

"We want clear words from Geagea's Lebanese Forces, because the LF had other leaders: Fouad Abu Nader," Franjieh said, adding that today "we are talking about the Lf" being violated by Geagea.

Franjieh also said that the principle of enlarging the number of participants in the national dialogue roundtable would become a reality. "Some do not want to enlarge it and to keep it as it was, but it would remain incomplete and subject to criticism," Franjieh said.

"The dialogue was launched on the premise that every participant has four MPs, and this
condition is no longer available for all participants," he said. Franjieh said that "In fact, May 7 changed what was before this date. We do not request the enlargement of dialogue, and the participants from the opposition represent us, but some participants do not represent anyone, and the table's form does not represent the situation of the Lebanese population."