Maarab is a town located in the
heart of Mount Lebanon, overlooking the Bay of Jounieh, north of Beirut. Once
in Maarab you do not have to ask for directions. Welcoming us there is a large
picture portraying a smiling Hakim next to his wife, Hon. Setrida Geagea, a
member of the Lebanese Parliament. It is the sign that we are indeed at the
Lebanese Forces party headquarters. It is here that Dr. Geagea escaped an
assassination attempt in 2012.
Welcoming us to his residence is
not the somewhat distorted image of Dr. Geagea found on Wikipedia, but rather a
proud, bright-eyed man, who in 1994 chose remaining in his country over exile,
knowing that he would be arrested after the ad hoc sentence called for by the
Syrian regime, which he opposed and continues to oppose. Hakim was imprisoned
on April 21, 1994 and spent 4,114 days in a miniscule cell inside the Defense
Ministry. As he himself recalls, those days strengthened him rather than
bending him physically and psychologically, rendering him an icon of
resistance, faith and freedom in the eyes of his supporters. Never to forget
those days, Dr. Geagea had the same cell where he was held prisoner recreated in
his current residence. Once released on July 26, 2005, Hakim spent three months
abroad for medical treatment, and returned to the Country of Cedars on October
25, his birthday. Conscious of the fact that war is a tragedy in which great
errors are committed, and unlike other figures from the Lebanese Civil War,
Hakim said in September 2008, ‘I fully apologize for all the mistakes that we
committed when we were carrying out our national duties during past Civil War
years. I ask God to forgive and so I ask the people whom we hurt in the past’.
The day Dr. Geagea agreed to
welcome us – June 2 – is a historic day for Lebanon. An hour after our meeting,
Hakim was to visit the “General”, as he is known in Lebanon, or General Michel
Aoun, leader of the “Free Patriotic Movement” party, Geagea’s historic
antagonist, and the second candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, a
role, according to the Lebanese “National Pact”, which is to be held by a
Maronite Christian. It is a historic visit, 20 years in the making, which could
give new impetus to the role of Lebanon’s Christian community.
Dr. Geagea’s exclusive interview
comes at a particularly sensitive time, not only for Lebanon, but for the
entire Middle East. The Country of Cedars has been without a President of the
Republic since May 25, 2014, reflecting the rift within Lebanon’s Christian
community between Geagea supporters on one hand, and those of Aoun on the
other. This cumbersome power vacuum negatively affects not only the country’s
institutional sphere, but also its socio-economic scenario. Moreover, the
threat of ISIS looms over Lebanon, despite the diligent monitoring of borders
by the Lebanese army and national security apparatus to prevent infiltration.
“The West is afraid of ISIS, we in Lebanon tell the organization: tfaddalou
(or, make yourself comfortable), we are expecting you,” said several Lebanese
citizens (Christians) who took part in the 1975-1990 civil war. These are
statements made by men who during the civil war found themselves fighting Palestinian
guerrillas and Arab mercenaries, who were at times more ruthless than ISIS
jihadists, to defend the Christian villages that otherwise would not exist
today. ISIS is a threat that Lebanese institutions are not underestimating, as
confirmed by Dr. Geagea, as he invited us to sit in his personal office.
How do you assess the absence
of a President of the Republic, and what are the consequences of this absence?
“The absence of a President of
the Republic creates a void not only regarding the presidency itself, but also
in the political life of the country. All government activities are paralyzed
by this, and this institutional paralysis has several repercussions, both on
the general situation in the country, as well as in economic matters. In this sense,
the presidential vacuum is very serious and damaging, and our goal is to fill
it as soon as possible.”
In addition to yourself, who
are the other candidates for the Presidency of the Republic, and what support
do they enjoy?
“General Aoun, despite not having
officially announced his candidacy, is among the leading contenders. There are
also other names on the table, but they have not been made official yet.
Regarding domestic support, General Aoun enjoys more or less broad support from
the March 8 Coalition [led by Hezbollah, Ed.], and I am supported by the March
14 Coalition.”
Read more here.