Gemayel: Countdown has begun for Assad regime collapse

Kataeb party leader Amine Gemayel Beirut – George Shahin Kataeb party leader Amine Gemayel compared the Syrian crisis to a “long American film”, saying that anyone who can read into the Syrian situation can see that everything that took place was expected. He noted that the Syrian crisis was heading towards “internationalisation,” after the Arab League on Sunday decided to go to the UN Security Council to seek its support for a new plan aimed at resolving the conflict.
“But internationalisation would have consequences, and Russia’s stance is strategic in this regard and it is not performing a simple manoeuver; it is rather seeking to preserve its interests,” Gemayel said.
 “The countdown has begun… and the number of people killed in Syria does not allow Assad to [remain in power], so how will he deal with his people?” Gemayel asked during an interview with Lebanese channel MTV on Monday night.
“We’re not with engaging Lebanon in bloody violence ... We have enough domestic woes and the slogan ‘Lebanon First’ means that we should tackle Lebanon’s needs before anything else,” the former president of the republic added.
As he expressed “full solidarity” with the Syrian people, Gemayel stressed that a Lebanese intervention in the neighbouring country’s crisis would not do the Syrian uprising any good.
“Any attempt to import the Syrian conflict into Lebanon would lead to disastrous consequences,” he warned.
Commenting on Syrian violations of the Lebanese border, he said that “this is [typical] Syrian behavior.”
“Humans are worthless to them, and killing people is easy for them,” Gemayel added after Syrian gunmen opened fire on a fishing boat along the maritime border with Syria, killing one boy and detaining the two other fishermen.
In addition, Gemayel slammed the Lebanese government for “not fully performing its duties.”
“If it lacks the capabilities, it can at least voice a stance,” he suggested.
Gamayel however ruled out an imminent collapse of Prime Minister Najib Miqati's government.
“The issue of changing the government is not on the table at the moment, given the concessions Hezbollah has been making to guarantee the survival of the government, which is vital to its alliance with Syria,” Gemayel said.
Meanwhile, National Struggle Front bloc MP Akram Chehayeb wondered how the Syrian regime is “refusing any initiative to halt the bloodshed and is rejecting the Arab League [observer] mission [to carry out its duties in Syria],” refusing all involvement by the Arab League, however, allows itself to interfere in the Lebanese internal affairs.
“The weird thing is how the Syrian regime is allowing itself to interfere in Lebanese affairs, violating Lebanese sovereignty and killing people in [towns near the Syrian border],” Chehayeb said in a statement on Tuesday.
Chehayeb also slammed the Syrian Ambassador to Beirut Ali Abdel Karim Ali “who in the name of special [Lebanese-Syrian] relations is giving lessons to Lebanese officials.”
On a different note, Minister of Foreign Affairs Adnan Mansour responded to Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s earlier statements, and said that he did not “need lessons from anyone,” the Lebanese National News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Jumblatt said that it would have been preferable if “Lebanon’s representative at the Arab League remained silent” over the issue of the Syrian situation and abided by “the policy of disassociation in order to protect Lebanon’s credibility.”
“If the golden rule is [remaining] silent, we might as well all be silent. If we seek democracy and work for it, like others have the right of expression, then I think everyone has the right of expression. Therefore, we do not need lessons from anyone,” Mansour added.
The PSP leader’s statement to Mansour comes after the latter requested the Arab League put an end to Syria’s suspension from the Arab League and the economic sanctions imposed upon it.