In an interview with the Russian daily Kommersant, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Bassil stated that his party would be revising its agreement with Hezbollah.
Gebran Bassil denied that he was working to reach the presidency position and said that he was sanctioned by the United States because he refused to break ties with Hezbollah.
That statement came in contradiction with what the U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea revealed back in November 2020 that Gebran Bassil had himself expressed a willingness to cut ties with Hezbollah on certain conditions.
He had even expressed his “gratitude that the United States had gotten him to see how the relationship is disadvantageous to the party,” according to Ambassador Shea.
Gebran Bassil appears to have finally come to decide to make some adjustments to his and his party’s position towards Hezbollah, as has been revealed in his interview with the Russian daily.
According to him, his agreement with Hezbollah had a purpose in “preserving national unity, defending Lebanon, and combating terrorism.”
“But this understanding has so far failed to build the state and fight corruption, so we are reviewing it in agreement with Hezbollah,” he added without giving any clarification on the “revisions” to be made.
His comments now come after reports, citing experts in Washington, that he promised to cut ties with Hezbollah if the United States would guarantee that he will become Lebanon’s next president.
Earlier this year, the FPM council had expressed some criticism of Hezbollah on the 15-year anniversary of their agreement when it announced that the agreement has failed to achieve its goal.
It said that its understanding was no longer developing towards “opening new horizons,” and the continuation of the agreement was non-viable.
