Bassil says Lebanese political system cannot be maintained — Naharnet

Free Patriotic Movement leader Jebran Bassil said Lebanon’s political system is “paralyzed” and “cannot be sustained”.

In an interview with al-Mayadeen television that aired overnight, Bassil added that he believed “there is an integration between the project to protect weapons that protect the state” and “the priority of building the state”.

“Lebanon cannot stand idly by in the face of Israel. As long as Israel exercises its arrogance in the region and at the expense of Lebanon, Lebanon can only be at the heart of the conflict with it,” Bassil added.

Furthermore, the leader of the FPM declared that “there is an American decision to prevent a total collapse of Lebanon while refraining from sufficiently reviving it”. He added that he did not expect US sanctions against him to be lifted before the Lebanese presidential election, calling it a “political decision”.

As for the parliamentary elections, Bassil said that “so far” he sees “no Saudi financial interference in the elections.”

Asked about his planned visit to Syria, the leader of the FPM said “it would come at the appropriate time after the elections”, noting that it would be “in the interest of Lebanon at the economic and political levels”.

As for his tensions with President Nabih Berri, Bassil said: “How can we consider that we are in the majority with President Nabih Berri when we are extremely at odds in politics?

“There is no need to re-elect President Berri to his post again,” added the leader of the FPM.