Qahwaji Rejects Turning Lebanon into Battleground for Syrian Differences
Army chief Gen. Jean Qahwaji snapped back at his critics on Monday and said in his Order of the Day that the military won’t allow turning the nation into a battleground for Syrian differences.
“No matter where the situation in Syria leads to, the army will be in utmost readiness to play its role and assume its national responsibilities in accordance with the decisions of the political authority in limiting the repercussions of these events on Lebanon, protecting the residents of border regions and preventing strife,” Qahwaji said.
The army won’t allow turning the nation into a battlefield for “Syrian differences and regional wills or setting up any buffer zone outside the control of the state,” he stressed.
Qahwaji promised the implementation of a “cohesive” plan that would include a “crucial and effective response.”
On Sunday, the army command issued a stern statement against opposition al-Mustaqbal bloc MP Moeen al-Merehbi who accused the army chief of being a failure and responsible for civil strife in the country.
Merehbi also accused the army of becoming a bystander in the repeated violations of Syrian forces of Lebanon’s border.
The military has done nothing to stop the displacement of Akkar residents who are fleeing their homes over the border clashes and shelling, he said.
But the army snapped back, saying it is a lawmaker’s duty to preserve the army and not abuse his parliamentary immunity by attacking the military and creating a dispute between Akkar and the armed forces.
In a clear reference to the critics of the military institution, Qahwaji said on the occasion of the army’s 67th anniversary: “Mistaken are those who believe that the institution is facing the challenge of preserving its unity under any circumstance.”
The army is more “cohesive” and will confront efforts to sow discord between the military institution and the Lebanese or attempts to hint that it is divided along political lines, Qahwaji said.
“They don’t know that the army is a single entity and all soldiers are loyal only to the nation,” he stressed.
The general also expressed confidence in the military’s ability to guarantee stability and become the guardian of Lebanon’s democratic values and freedoms.
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