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General Michael Aoun Backs Hezbollah Worldwide

Pierre A. Maroun - 4/16/2008

During his press release on Monday April 14, 2008, Michael Aoun replied to a
question reassuring that his alliance with Hezbollah is not a local one concerning
limited issues but rather a worldwide alliance that stretches beyond Lebanon's
borders. It is not clear as to why General Aoun will stretch his support of
Hezbollah from the local scene, which some may consider Hezbollah a
“resistance” group and to the international arena where Hezbollah’s illegal
activities are limitless, stretching from money laundering and drug dealings to
kidnappings, bombing, and killings. More shocking is that Aoun's announcement
came less than two months after Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah launched an
open war on the US and its allies in the Middle East region. However, many
observers believe that Aoun has become a puppet in the hands of Hezbollah
due to the financial support Aoun and his son in law Jibran Bassil have been
receiving from the terrorist group Hezbollah. In fact, some expected harsh
criticism from Aoun towards the US after he openly accused the latter of
assassinating Hezbollah's military leader Imad Mughneyeh last month in the
capital of Syria, but no one expected that he would link himself to Hezbollah on
the international arena.

Furthermore, media outlets reported that Hezbollah has contracted many
buildings in the southern suburb of Beirut, which were destroyed by the Israeli
warplanes in the July 2006 war, in a price that greatly exceed the real cost. Mr.
Bassil has been also delivering and distributing weapons to his supporters,
which is believed to have come from Hezbollah. Moreover, Mr. Bassil, along with
Shiite MP Abas Hashem, has been helping Hezbollah purchase Christian
properties in north and Mount Lebanon.

On the other hand, many experts believe that Aoun has become a hostage of
Hezbollah since his own security depends on them after the terrorist group has
infiltrated most, if not all, of Aoun’s groups especially his own security one.

Thus, it is imperative that followers of Aoun, especially committed ones who
consider themselves lobbyists and representatives of him overseas, to issue a
strong condemnation of their leader's alliance with the terrorist group Hezbollah,
which up till September 1, 2001 killed more Americans in a single suicide
bomber than any other group. Moreover, these followers and supporters need
to immediately cease their relationship with Aoun and to disassociate
themselves from his “political” group the Free Patriotic Movement (Tayyar
Watani), for such association has become a sheer treason and they should be
prosecuted by the proper authorities to the fullest extent of the law. Only then
people will think twice before pledging their support to terrorist groups and
individuals.

As for General Aoun, he has been renewing his support to Hezbollah and
criticizing the US policy towards Lebanon for a while now believing that it is the
only way that will persuade the US Administration to cut a deal with him. No
chance. The US will never cut a deal with a Syrio-Iranian lackey and or a follower
of a terrorist group i.e. Hezbollah. Besides, deals are cut with leaders not
followers. Furthermore, Aoun has no credibility on the local or the international
scenes. Two months after he announced that “there was no POW in Syrian
prisons, a prisoner was released by the Assad regime. Lately, he alleged that
there were mass graves in the town of Halat. After the authorities dug out the
area, they found no human skeletons. However, they did find rotten remnants of
Aoun’s sanity and dignity that are buried six feet under.

Aoun has been meddling in Lebanon’s security for a long time. It is time for the
Lebanese people to rid the country of this putrefied rat before it destroys
whatever is left of this beloved nation-state.