Chouf MP says links do not contradict support for Hizbullah, Syria

Cilina Nasser
Daily Star staff

Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt defended his relationship with elements of the Christian opposition on Monday, saying it did not contradict either his strong support for Syria or the resistance in the South.
“There is a good relationship with some people in the opposition, which must be developed to fortify internal Lebanese unity,” the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party told reporters following a meeting with Hizbullah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, at the resistance party’s headquarters in Haret Hreik.
Jumblatt said the development of his relations with some members of the Christian opposition would rest “on the grounds of a strong and honest relationship with Syria, which would take into consideration Lebanon and the region following the Sept. 11 attacks and on the grounds of defending and embracing the Lebanese and Islamic resistance in the South.”
Jumblatt moved last week to shore up relations with Christian opposition leaders, calling on the Interior Ministry to announce opposition candidate Gabriel Murr’s victory in the Metn by-election, meeting with Metn MP Nassib Lahoud and announcing plans to visit Bkirki this week.
But at the same time, Jumblatt has voiced strong support for Baabda and Damascus and criticized elements of the Christian opposition for exacerbating sectarian tensions.
Jumblatt deflected criticism of this balancing act, saying it was consistent with a pan-Arab agenda that is in Lebanon’s national interests.
Commenting on former army commander Michel Aoun’s criticism of Syrian Vice-president Abdel-Halim Khaddam’s visit to the Druze leader’s home turf in Mukhtara last month, Jumblatt said: “The legacy of Mukhtara is present and does not fade away. It is an Arab legacy … an integral part of the Levant. And today, the Levant … is experiencing pressure, which will increase even more.
“We are part of this alliance, ­ the Islamic resistance, (Syria) and the national and democratic forces ­ to confront all kinds of pressure,” he added.
But Jumblatt issued a statement, published Monday in Ad-Diyar newspaper, saying: “Our understanding of sovereignty and independence is different from that of (Aoun),” who has long rejected Lebanon’s post-Taif government and Syria’s presence.
Asked by a reporter from Murr Television, which is owned by incoming Metn MP Gabriel Murr, if he had abandoned the Christian forces who supported him in the 2000 parliamentary elections, Jumblatt replied: “Why are you classifying Christians as hostile to pan-Arabism? Aren’t there Christians who are Arabs? Who came up with the idea of Arab nationalism? Weren’t they the Christians of Lebanon and Mount Lebanon in the 19th century?
“There are some who are confused and who haven’t read history or even a book, and that is another story,” he added, referring to Lebanese Christians who claim Lebanon is not part of the Arab world.
Recent friction between Jumblatt and the Christian opposition began when the Chouf MP was excluded from an opposition gathering at the National Liberal Party headquarters in Sodeco, which was convened to discuss the Metn by-election.
Jumblatt also denied that he had any role in mediation efforts between Interior Minister Elias Murr and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, who met over the weekend. The minister accused Hariri last week of undermining Christian unity by favoring Gabriel Murr over his niece Myrna in the Metn by-election.
However, Jumblatt said he was pleased with the results of the Metn by-election and downplayed the controversy that erupted afterward.
“It’s good that it ended this way. It happens, even in the civilized countries like the United States, which is not civilized in all its forms. It happened in the elections in Florida. And here we had the Florida chapter in the upper Metn,” said Jumblatt, referring to the controversy surrounding Florida ballots and the manner in which they were counted during the 2000 US presidential election.
Regarding his visit with Nasrallah, Jumblatt said: “It’s normal to meet with comrades in the resistance of Hizbullah.
“How couldn’t we, especially now that we have to unify ranks, study all kinds of possibilities, strengthen the patriotic, deep-rooted Arab line and strengthen the Lebanese national arena?”
Jumblatt also said that the meeting was designed to prepare “the basics to resist on the political and military level any dangers coming from the South or elsewhere.”

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