“I Don’t Fear Assassinations or Civil War”... Al-Hajjar Says Weapons Decision Is Final
Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar revealed details of his visit to Pakistan, saying: “I met Pakistan’s interior minister during the Hajj season in Mecca, and he told me at the time that Lebanon would be included in the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and invited me to visit Pakistan.”
Speaking to MTV, Al-Hajjar said: “The visit to Pakistan was positive. They reaffirmed their support for Lebanon and its army. There is cooperation between the two ministries in combating drugs, and the Cabinet tasked me, on behalf of the Justice Ministry, with signing an agreement on the exchange of prisoners.”
He continued: “There is no direct line between Pakistan and Lebanon regarding drug trafficking, our fight against drugs is ongoing, and Lebanon has already achieved major successes in this field, which, in cooperation with Saudi Arabia, led to the lifting of the ban on Lebanese exports.”
He stressed: “Lebanon welcomes every effort that would help it overcome the crisis it is facing. The south is occupied, and this has also opened a parallel track through the tripartite negotiations.”
Regarding the Paris conference, Al-Hajjar said: “President Aoun conveyed positive impressions to me from the preparatory conference to support the army, and we hope these positive developments will be translated into action during the upcoming conference.”
On the parliamentary session to question the government, Al-Hajjar said: “MPs have the right to hold the government accountable. What matters is that the government won the confidence vote, and it is good for the government to win or lose confidence inside Parliament rather than in the streets.”
Asked about the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, he said: “I support resolving the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, but the use of force is another matter because national unity is essential. We must not reach the point of internal confrontation, and we will continue the process of ensuring that weapons are held exclusively by the state.”
He stressed: “Anyone who commits a crime must be imprisoned. The security forces are making efforts to arrest wanted individuals, and I expressed openness to the issue of an amnesty.”
He also stressed: “Any Syrian intervention is rejected, and the Syrian side does not want this either. Border control is better than before, and I neither fear nor want any confrontation between Lebanon and the Syrian authorities.”
Asked whether he would agree to meet his Israeli counterpart, he replied: “The Lebanese side is represented in negotiations by an appointed team; how could I sit down with an Israeli minister while our land is occupied and our people are dying?”
He added: “I ask the inmates at Roumieh Prison to await the Constitutional Council’s decision. Challenging the general amnesty law is a constitutional right. I hope we will have the capacity to improve the prisons, and we cannot assume that all inmates are criminals.”
In response to a question, Al-Hajjar confirmed: “I do not fear political assassinations or civil war, and the judiciary must be able to prosecute any politician.”
