Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel on Friday lambasted the remarks made by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah during his Thursday’s speech, saying that no one is seeking a civil war except for him.

“None of the Lebanese people has interest in starting a civil war except for you. The Lebanese want nothing but peace,” Gemayel said addressing Nasrallah following his meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rahi in Bkirki.

“No civil war will ever happen in Lebanon,” he affirmed.

“You are in control of the country and this system, you define for the Lebanese politicians the limits of their game, and you consider that the people's revolution is addressed against you. Both this revolution wants to build a State, a country and a future." Gemayel added.

"We do understand that whoever controls a hostage does not want it to move but rather want it to be silent. No, we will not die in silence. We will raise our voices and you will not threaten us with a civil war. We are a peaceful people, and we refuse the logic of war,” he affirmed.

The Kataeb leader deemed holding parliamentary elections as key for all the Lebanese’ problems, calling for forming an independent government that would implement reforms and negotiate with the International Monetary Funds.

“We need the help of the West and all the other foreign countries to stand by Lebanon, but what government controlled by this mafia and militia will it be able to save Lebanon?" he asked.

“The Lebanese’ tragedy is increasing daily, people are unable to complete their lives due to the surge in prices, the deterioration of the purchasing power and the loss of the Lebanese pound in its full value. The Lebanese are suffering, and the system is standing still doing nothing,” he noted.

“The party has submitted a law proposal to shorten the Parliament’s mandate in October 2019 and to hold early elections in May 2020, that is, a year ago. We should have been somewhere else today. But unfortunately, none of these things have ever happened,” he said.

“If the elections have taken place last summer, we would have had hope for a change,” he noted.

Gemayel stressed the need to proceed with the Patriarch’s initiative that lies on implementing the international decisions regarding Lebanon's sovereignty, protecting its borders, preventing the entry of weapons, and neutralizing the country from all sort of conflicts so as to liberate the Lebanese people from the hostage State it is currently in.

“We must work on restoring the decision to the Lebanese people through the parliamentary elections to renew the entire political class, from the Parliament to the President of the Republic, passing through the government and its president, by coming up with a new Council that would form a new government and elect a new president at the level of the Lebanese people’ aspirations,” he said, calling for respecting the constitutional deadlines.

“We must unify the change and sovereign forces so as to face better, to have our word stronger, to provide an alternative and to give hope to the people. What is required today is to give up all selfishness and to remain open to each other with a clear goal of putting aside all the old alignments,” Gemayel stressed.

The Kataeb leader affirmed that there is no sovereignty without change and vis versa, deeming change and accountability as the basis for the country’s development.

“In 2005, we have liberated the country from the Syrian regime, but we did not make the change, and the same people brought us to where we are today," he said.

“We have to learn that sovereignty without change does not work, and that change under the shadow of arms’ control is useless because the decision will remain somewhere else. We must liberate the Lebanese decision and hold accountable so that we can build a different future for our youth,” he affirmed.