Aoun Launches Vehement Attack on U.S. Policy, Government

by **Admin** Sun Mar 30, 2008 6:05 am

Free Patriotic Movement leader Gen. Michel Aoun has said Lebanon's decision to boycott the Arab summit was wrong and slammed the United States and Premier Fouad Saniora's government for leading Lebanon to the worst, in support of the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mouallem's criticism.

The government's decision to boycott the March 29-30 summit in Damascus is "wrong," Aoun told a new TV show broadcast on OTV Wednesday night.

He said the anti-Damascus March 14 alliance lost an opportunity to solve the Syrian-Lebanese crisis by deciding not to attend the Arab summit.

He defended Syria's position regarding its innocence over the assassination of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and its opposition to the International Tribunal.

"I believe that he who had killed Hariri is the enemy of Syria", Aoun said and added " the Charges made in the Hariri crime are mere political blackmailing".

Aoun attacked the government for jailing the four generals accused by the UN chief investigator of involvement in the Hariri crime " The four generals are jailed without charges", Aoun said.

He also accused the government of being against any agreement among the Lebanese and said it follows instructions from foreign powers, leading Lebanon to the worst.

"The government is attacking us and Hizbullah because we have reached an understanding," Aoun said during Maguy Farah's 'Al Haq Youqal' TV show.

Aoun said the U.S. policy is against Lebanon and "no one can convince me of the opposite."

"The U.S. policy hurts stability in Lebanon because it wants to isolate the third of the population which is represented by Hizbullah," he said.

"I cannot understand the logic of the U.S. policy in Lebanon and neither the logic of the government," he said, because it "refuses" to give the Hizbullah-led opposition its rights.

"We want partnership and a fair election law," he stressed.

He told Farah that a settlement to the political crisis could be reached if the United States convinced March 14 to accept partnership.

About relations with the Maronite church, the FPM leader said that he differs with Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir over politics, but has no differences with the church.

He also said that Army Chief Gen. Michel Suleiman was still the FPM's consensus candidate for the presidency.
"My candidate for consensus president is Gen. Michel Suleiman as long as the Arab Initiative persists," Aoun stressed.