Beirut: Lebanese Forces party leader, Samir Geagea, said in a statement on Sunday that the "framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, which President Joseph Aoun oversaw in coordination and consultation with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, is the most important political step taken by the Lebanese state in half a century to pull Lebanon and its people out of a tragic impasse and its repercussions caused by successive 'resistances' in southern Lebanon."
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, Geagea stated that the agreement "is not limited to the withdrawal of Israelis from Lebanon and allowing residents of the south to return to their towns and villages. Rather, when implemented, it will permanently close the bleeding southern front, which has exhausted all Lebanese and, foremost, the people of the south, deprived us of stability, disrupted national and political life to varying degrees, and led to economic and financial collapses from which no household in Lebanon has been spared."
Geagea highlighted that the ongoing conflict in the south has not aided the Palestinian cause but has repeatedly harmed Lebanon. He emphasized that the framework agreement, once implemented, will not only facilitate the withdrawal of Israelis but will also address a critical national issue Lebanon has faced for decades: the presence of armed organizations beyond the state's control, with Hezbollah being the most prominent. These entities have made decisions on war and peace based on their interests and external agendas, disregarding Lebanon's national interests. This situation has weakened the Lebanese state and eroded its credibility among its international allies.
Geagea further argued that the agreement would "end the excessive and illegitimate Iranian influence in Lebanese decision-making circles, which has been steering Lebanese positions and choices in directions that serve Iran's interests rather than those of Lebanon and its people, and return Lebanon-Iran relations to what they were half a century ago: normal diplomatic relations between two states serving their peoples' interests."
He criticized those opposing the agreement as instigators of sedition, pointing out that the real discord began when the Taif Agreement was implemented selectively. He urged those lamenting the armistice agreement's deterioration to have acted earlier, rather than now expressing regret.
Geagea reminded detractors questioning the agreement's legitimacy that Lebanon's legitimate authority consists of the President of the Republic, the government, and Parliament, noting that President Joseph Aoun was legally elected and the government has twice secured parliamentary confidence.
Concluding, Geagea stressed that this agreement represents Lebanon's greatest opportunity to overcome the challenges of the past fifty years and called on all Lebanese to support their legitimate authorities to move forward, instead of clinging to outdated slogans and stances that have exhausted the nation.