In an interview with NOW Lebanon, the head of the Popular Bloc, Elias Skaff, stressed that the Zahle incident was 100% isolated and occurred because of provocations, accusing President Gemayel of “carrying out a parade before his partisans, seizing the opportunity to politically use what happened and working for his own interests.” Regarding damage control, Skaff said, “I’ve done everything that was asked of me, and this issue requires the presence of two parties.”

In his interview, Skaff criticized the rally in Zahle that was held to support General Sleiman’s candidacy. He said, “I thought it was inadequate and might hurt General Sleiman, who, according to the opposition, is making lots of mistakes.” He said the army commander changed, adding that he is no longer a consensual candidate.

Skaff also denied that he might withdraw from Change and Reform Bloc, unless there is a major problem.

NOW Lebanon: Away from politicization, what really happened in Zahle?

Skaff: The incident is 100% isolated and was due to provocations, insults, road blocking and offenses. When the weapon was drawn, the situation was a “kill or be killed” situation, and self-defense was inevitable. This is what happened, but some pro-government forces, including the Kataeb and Maarab, exploited the problem and turned it into a large political issue. Saying that the opposition premeditated what happened is rejected by common sense. Is it possible for a person to face a group of people alone? He [The perpetrator, Joesph Zouki] reacted quickly to defend his brother. Furthermore, his house is located across from the Kataeb’s house, and he wanted to go there. They said to him, “Hey you! Go back!” and insulted him. He is a partisan of our political line of thought. Then, the problem escalated, and the young man called me. I quickly contacted the army since the Internal Security Forces were not there. The army calmed the situation down, but the harsh insults went on. An armed group attacked the young man while he was leaving in his car. Then, he stepped out of the car and defended himself. Anyway, we respect justice, and it is the decider.

 NOW: President Gemayel declared that the incident was premeditated, that certain parties were behind it, and that he will follow the matter till its end.

Skaff: We don’t have any problem. If President Gemayel has information, let him reveal it. President Gemayel is carrying out a parade before his partisans, seizing the opportunity to politically use what happened and working for his own interests.

NOW: There was talk that the killer was an ex-convict who was recently released from prison after his bail was paid.

Skaff: It is true that he was sentenced and spent 10 years in prison after committing a murder related to a love story and a fight over a girl. It wasn’t political, and the young man has served his sentence. But I would also like to mention, and without any intent to add fuel to the fire or to provoke, that one of the killed, Salim Assi, is a convict who spent 10 years in prison for a similar story in the past; he killed a member of Al-Zouki family. I’m not saying that what happened was payback, but this is the truth.

NOW: How can we contain this issue?

Skaff: I did everything that was asked of me. I called Amin Gemayel and told him that we must overcome what happened. You know us, and you are aware of our family’s history. We’re not criminals. He said it was true, and I am aware of this. But the next day, he changed his position. It seems that someone pushed him to do so. I also spoke with Patriarch Laham and other bishops. We tried to calm the situation and asked to close all shops in mourning. We didn’t carry out any provocation, considering the problem to have occurred because the state didn’t perform its duties, as the Internal Security Forces were absent.

NOW: Wasn’t there an official rally in the presence of the Internal Security Forces?

Skaff: Only the Kataeb militias were controlling the location and blocking the roads. The army was present, but not the ISF.

NOW: Can’t you convince the perpetrators to give themselves up?

Skaff: I don’t know their location. They contacted me when the incident occurred, then I lost contact with them. They are well aware that I will ask them to give themselves up. But even if I ask them to do so, they won’t. How will he give himself up knowing that Eli Marouni [family member of victim Nasri Marouni] wants him to be immediately hanged without trial?  Anyway, we’re not covering him any longer. What more can I do?  If they want to go on exploiting the matter, it’s their problem.

NOW: How is the incident going to be contained on the Christian level?

Skaff: This requires the presence of two parties. I am responding, but they have to respond in order to calm the situation. It’s the first time in my life that I see a party acting this aggressively, even before the funerals. They added fuel to the fire.

NOW: Will this crisis end in peace? 

Skaff: We are witnessing complicated situations on the regional level. We heard Welch predicting a “hot summer” for us, but on which levels? On the level of war or internal problems? If it is on the level of internal problems, this is their chance, and it is giving them a door wide open to problems.

NOW: How can they exploit it?

Skaff: The regional situation isn’t easy, and Welch’s statement proves it. How can he predict a hot summer? Does he have information, or is he the one cooking it?

NOW: In your opinion, why did Welch come?

Skaff: To arouse the street and control the pro-government forces.

NOW: Will this incident negatively affect your popularity in Zahle?

Skaff: I don’t think so. We have historical relationships that date back more than 100 years with Zahle’s citizens. My father, my grandfather and I never had blood on our hands, neither during the civil war nor today. Everybody knows that. We don’t have militias, cards or services organized for assassinations. Our capital is our relationship with the people.

NOW: But the criminal is one of your partisans, and he was armed.

Skaff: Is there a person in Lebanon who isn’t armed nowadays? The entire country is armed. There is a weapon in every house and with every person. This has become normal in Lebanon.

NOW: There is talk that your alliance with Michel Aoun has a negative impact on your popularity in Zahle, which leans toward to March14.

Skaff: In the parliamentary elections, we held out our hand to Saad Hariri and told him to choose the Sunni who was on the list. He wanted to choose the entire list. I told him, “I won’t give you Zahle, and if you want it, take it by force.” The conflict happened, and he lost the elections. Zahle’s citizens know that it was he who created the problem, not me. On the dialogue table, they wanted to form the government with Michel Aoun, who asked for four ministers, two of whom were from the Popular Bloc and the Armenians. He told him, “forget Skaff and the Armenians, and take the four ministers.” He replied, “We are allies.” He answered, “Fine. They will be nothing but satisfied.” The opposition didn’t exist yet. Aoun called me saying, “We’re inside,” meaning in the national-unity government. One day, when I was at Aoun’s place, Fouad Siniora called me and said, “We love you, we respect you, and we’re ready for your future plans, and I’m replacing you.” I replied, “How can you replace me? In Zahle, you were in charge of the operations and you failed. For your information, Zahle is the third city in Lebanon [in area and population], before Saida. Do you want to eliminate me or to represent me?” He answered me, “These are the regional situations, and there is no place for you!”

I informed Michel Aoun, and he immediately asked Ibrahim Kanaan to notify them of our withdrawal. It is then that the opposition was born. They then argued with the Hezbollah and Amal movements, so they both joined us. But in the beginning, we were the opposition.

Where is our mistake, then? We have always held out our hand to all the people, but they pushed the people, they created the opposition. This point must be clarified: Saad Hariri’s politics created the opposition. The politics of superiority is unacceptable. Moreover, Lebanon is based on a historical custom requiring the representation of its three regions. They realized their errors and wanted to divide our ranks. This situation is different today in light of Sunni and Shia regions. Thus, our interest lies in solidarity in order to face the conspiracy against Lebanon, especially regarding the resettlement of Palestinians, which is a threat to us and to the Shia.

NOW: You’re saying that you are a Christian force that others want to remove?

Skaff: Of course. We must not underestimate Zahle’s position; it is the largest city in the East, not only in Lebanon. There is a big campaign, and Hariri and the Future bloc, instead of choosing direct confrontation, have supported the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb, who are doing that now. We are now seeing the squabbles on the field. There is no need for all of this. Let them join hands with Zahle’s citizens. But they want to exert pressures on us to politically weaken us and distort our image. Saying that our politics are wrong, that it is Iranian and Syrian and surrounded by louts and armed men, has one aim: controlling Zahle in the upcoming elections.

NOW: When Michel Murr left the Change and Reform bloc, it was said that you would be next.

Skaff: No, not at all. Today, any change in our political line without reason is considered damaging to our political beliefs. There is no political reason to change our line. We exist because of our beliefs. We have our viewpoints and the Christians’ position in the region.

They claim to be representing the Christians. Let them explain the truth behind the lands being sold with the support of the government. We are for the coexistence and the customs that they want to change.

NOW: Do you mean that you’re not leaving the bloc?

Skaff: This is not an option unless there is a major reason or problem.

NOW: Michel Murr stressed on his position in the bloc, but he later left it?

Skaff: He left because of his disagreements with some members of the bloc. These disagreements piled up and turned into personal matters. Today he’s independent.

NOW: Did Murr’s withdrawal affect the bloc’s position?

Skaff: Of course. This is a building standing on several pillars. Every time we pull a pillar out, the building is affected and weakened. On the other hand, there are some pro-government MPs that can join the opposition’s ranks at anytime.

NOW: When?

Skaff: This will be revealed at the last moment, when we’re invited to the presidential-election session.

NOW: What are your comments about what happened Tuesday in the parliament?

Skaff: As the parliament speaker, Berri sets a date and time for the presidential-election session. But we haven’t witnessed any internal political solutions yet for the MPs to go to the parliament to elect; there aren’t any regional and international solutions either.

NOW: From one postponement to another, how long will the situation remain the same?

Skaff: Rice has clearly stated it, “we are pleased with Fouad Siniora.” This is the American politics; it suits them that we remain without a president or parliamentary elections. They might even find a reason to postpone these elections. We are now waiting for the American elections to see if the new president will change his country’s politics or not.

NOW: We’ll wait till the American elections, then?

Skaff: No solutions yet. A solution requires two parties: the Americans and their team on one side and the other team on the other side. If everyone does not come to terms, there is no possibility for a solution. There is a huge conspiracy against Lebanon because they want to eliminate the coexistence characteristic in it, but we won’t let them.

NOW: We notice that every party in the opposition has its own concerns and problems.

Skaff: This is part of the plan, but we must not forget that the population is aware of this. Therefore, this change does not exist like they try to depict it. We know that they are the ones creating problems, and this is all within one plan elaborated by the pro-government forces and encompassing 10 points.

NOW: What are these points?

Skaff: Waging a huge daily media campaign on Michel Aoun; spreading rumors about his bloc’s ranks being fissured; creating a division within the army; exaggerating the problem between Aoun and the Patriarch; creating a schism between Aoun and the businessmen; highlighting  Aoun’s hostility toward the West, especially the US and France; and spending millions of dollars in exchange for services in Jbeil, Kesrouan and the Metn through their allies, i.e. Geagea, Gemayel, Chamoun, Eddé, Soueid, El Bon and Nassib Lahoud. Congratulations on that plan.

NOW: Why is the opposition attacking Michel Sleiman?

Skaff: Because he has changed. He’s not the same anymore. What happened lately and the rally organized to support him are good examples.

NOW: Do you mean the Zahle rally?

Skaff: They tried to get in Zahle in order to follow the example of Michel Murr. But Zahle refused and did not participate. The municipalities and the mayors did not attend the rally. Two municipalities from the 18th attended it, and only seven mayors from the 30 were present. They invited 6,000 people, and not more than 600 came in the last quarter. With respect to everyone, the city’s officials and symbols were absent.

NOW: Some have put the Zahle murders within the scope of a retort to this rally?

Skaff: These theories aren’t true.

NOW: You said that Sleiman has changed. How?

Skaff: He changed his style. When he wants to reach his goal by force, asking the municipalities to exert pressure on MPs, he’s no longer a consensual candidate. Everybody is surprised by what he’s doing, from Michel Aoun to Sleiman Franjieh. Michel Sleiman is no longer a consensual candidate; he’s making lots of mistakes. I find what he’s doing to be inadequate and wrong; it might hurt him.

NOW: The opposition is preoccupied by politics and has forgotten the economic concerns of the citizen.

Skaff: This isn’t our responsibility. It’s the government’s responsibility; the government takes the economic decisions. They are tightening the services on purpose in order to increase the people’s poverty, saying that it’s the opposition’s fault. This is also within their plan.

NOW: Are you pessimistic?

Skaff: Yes. There are no solutions, and the Americans don’t want a solution. They want to eliminate coexistence among the Lebanese and have succeeded in dividing us. They aren’t ready for a solution yet.

NOW: Does that mean that Berri’s call for dialogue is just to pass time?

Skaff: Both parties must have the will, and one had alone cannot clap.