Head of the Independence Movement warns against fighting extremism with extremism

Head of the Independence Movement Michel Moawad said Sunday that the assassination of President Rene Moawad was aimed at dealing a blow to the implementation of the Taef Accord.

Moawad, who was speaking to members of the Future Movement in Tripoli, told participants at the conference that the assassination of his father paved the way for the Syrian regime to impose its hegemony on Lebanon.

“When the Syrian regime assassinated President Rene Moawad, it dealt a blow to the foundations of a true national reconciliation which represented the core of the Taef agreement,” he said.

Instead of encouraging a national reconciliation and reinforcing the role of Lebanon’s security institutions , the Syrian regime chose to impose its agenda on Lebanon, Moawad explained.

The Syrian regime had control over the presidency, the Cabinet, Parliament and the daily life of the Lebanese people, he added. “The assassination of President Moawad brought to an end all efforts to promote reforms and sustainable development. His death was a blow to the Taef Accord which called for partnership, moderation and reform.”

Moawad recalled how the slain president repeatedly stressed the need to confine the possession of weapons to legitimate state institutions but to no avail.

“After the assassination of President Rene Moawad, Martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri tried to cope with the domestic, regional and international circumstances surrounding Lebanon and sought to advance Lebanese foreign-policy interests despite the Syrian hegemony,” Moawad said.

However, the late prime minister’s efforts were to no avail, according to Moawad who added that Hariri was assassinated shortly after he rebelled against Syrian hegemony.

“Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri would still be alive today if those who killed President Rene Moawad were brought to justice back then,” Moawad quoted  MP Marwan Hamadeh as saying in his testimony before the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The assassination of Hariri prompted the Cedar Revolution, which was, according to Moawad, a manifestation of the Christian-Muslim partnership that forced the withdrawal of Syrian forces from Lebanon and paved the way for the establishment of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

“Even if takes years, the STL will eventually put an end to impunity in Lebanon,” he said. However,  efforts to build a sovereign, independent and stable Lebanon will only succeed if the state’s security institutions have exclusive control over Lebanese territories, Moawad said, warning that Hezbollah’s possession of weapons is a blow to democracy.

Hezbollah’s illegitimate possession of arms and its involvement in the Syrian conflict is fueling the very extremism they purport to fight , Moawad warned.

Recalling the last confrontation between the Lebanese army and radical militants in Tripoli, Moawad said though Lebanon won one battle against extremism, it cannot win the war when certain groups continue to fight extremism with extremism.

“As long as certain groups other than legitimate security institutions remain armed, we will not be able to win the war against extremism,” he said.