Lebanon is caught in a cycle of threats. And it is our duty to be strong and capable of defending our country. But we will not clarify or explain what we do or do not possess.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
It is important that democracy in Lebanon is protected and that Hezbollah will not be supported by outside forces like Syria and Iran.
The main problem that we have in Lebanon, and in the region, is we don't have a real peace process and I think this is the main focal problem that we have in the region.
Lebanon will be engulfed again in a huge power game that will last quite a long time. This is the tragic destiny of Lebanon.
We want to see Israel withdraw from our territory. But we don't want to be accountable vis-a-vis Israel on the security basis, because we don't see, in the absence of a peace agreement, that Lebanon can really be accountable to Israel if anything happens.
The most important, what I believe myself to do, is what is the interest of Lebanon, what is the interest of my country and my nation? And I'm going to do it fully.
We have to look to the well-being of the Lebanese citizens and create prosperity in the country, and you can't create prosperity without stability.
My agenda is not to reassure anybody outside Lebanon.
Lebanon, of course, is a country with great problems. Traditionally, they have religious-national groups or ethnic-national groups. They have the Druses. Even the two Moslem sects, the Sunnis and the Shiites, are apart. Then they have the armed groups. Everybody's got a private army.
In my opinion, the Hezbollah has going - they are going to discover sooner or later than in their top priority should preserve Lebanon.
We must now make clear to Lebanon that it will not benefit from U.S. assistance and support as long as it harbors this brutal terrorist and murder.