Bassil at the Free Patriotic Movement's Annual Dinner: 'We Are the Free Patriotic Decision and the True Opposition… And There Is an ‘Afghanization' of Syria'

Tayyar.org

17-03-2025

The President of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, affirmed that the Movement embodies the true spirit of March 14, 1989, because it remains steadfast in its commitment to freedom, sovereignty, and independence. Others, he said, only invoke these values as slogans.
'We have continued to commemorate this anniversary until today, while they are absent now and will remain absent tomorrow. We stood firm and never deviated from our principles. As we did on March 14, we continue to stand for freedom, sovereignty, and independence,' Bassil declared.
Bassil's remarks came during the FPM's annual dinner, held at the Habtoor Hotel, attended by a large gathering of diplomats, politicians, parliamentarians, and party members.
He emphasized that the foundation of the Movement lay in the 'Free Patriotic Decision,' which later evolved into the Free Patriotic Movement. 'This is how we started,' he said. 'Our president came from the heart of the state and the army—outside of militias. He represented the national decision, free from foreign influence, expressing the Lebanese will for independence. The whole world stood against him until his removal in 1990, when Syrian and Israeli warplanes met above Baabda Palace, and the Saudi and American decisions converged on Parliament, while the Lebanese decision stood alone, in exile.'
Bassil continued, 'In 2005, the entire international community came together to isolate him, alongside internal forces in alliances—the quadripartite, pentagonal, and hexagonal coalitions. Yet again, the Lebanese decision stood alone in its homeland.'
He argued that on October 17, 2019, 'everyone united to target the president, aiming to remove him through a so-called revolution of 'all of them means all of them.' But their goal was to besiege us—the Free Patriotic Decision—mobilizing money and media against us.'
In 2025, Bassil said, 'consuls, envoys, and delegates have returned, exporting foreign decisions to the Lebanese. And once again, 'all of them means all of them' obeyed—while we alone remained standing.'
Addressing President Michel Aoun, Bassil declared: 'General, I am proud to have acted in 2025 as you did in 1988. You said no to the Murphy-Assad agreement. We, the Movement, said no to the five-party agreement. We said we will choose our president, and no one else will choose him for us. Our decision is national and free, and it will remain so.'
He added, 'We will remain free, masters of our decisions, because our choices come from our minds, not our pockets. It's better for our pockets to be empty while our heads remain full of dignity. As for them, when their pockets are empty, they sell their dignity.'
Bassil described the upcoming elections as decisive: 'The Movement will remain the Free Patriotic Decision. Just as they tried to eliminate us before, they will try again in 2026—but they will fail. That's why we are launching the 2026 electoral fund today. Everyone can contribute according to their means, but the essential thing is to keep both our pockets and our decisions free.'
On the Movement's current stance, Bassil said:'We were the opposition to the Syrian and Israeli occupation of Lebanon when we were inside the state and government between 1988 and 1990.We were the opposition to Syrian trusteeship and Israeli occupation when we were outside the state from 1990 to 2005.And we became the opposition to the corrupt ruling system after returning to the state in 2005.'He added, 'We remained in opposition to the system while part of the government from 2008. We continued opposing the system when we participated in government from 2016 to 2022, and after leaving government in 2022 until today, we are still against the system—and we will continue to be.'
Bassil stressed that the FPM has always opposed the regime's financial and economic policies, its mismanagement, and its corruption. 'The only difference,' he explained, 'is that when we regained our rightful representation in administration, parliament, government, and the presidency, we no longer needed to demand what we had reclaimed. But today, we must once again demand, even if we stand alone, the rights of our community—which, sadly, we have lost again.'
He reiterated that the Movement has always opposed compromises on sovereignty and the national decision. 'Today,' he said, 'we stand against subservience and dependency.'
'We support a just peace—one that secures rights. A peace that the brave sign while standing, built on conviction and mutual interests, not an imposed peace that cowards accept while kneeling.'
Bassil continued, 'We have always opposed corruption, displacement, the looting and smuggling of money, violations of the constitution and institutions, the failure to implement expanded decentralization, and any attempt to undermine our identity, entity, role, existence, and dignity. We oppose foreign interference in our affairs and reject interfering in the affairs of others.'
On the situation in Syria, Bassil asked, 'How can we not be affected by what's happening on our borders? How can we not mourn for people fearing for their existence and lives, whose only crime is their religious affiliation?How can we not feel pain for the innocent children hiding under stairs and beds, waiting for the bullet that may pierce their heads?Is this democracy and human rights in Syria? Is this how brothers rule? Is this how comrades behave?'
Bassil warned, 'What we are witnessing is the Afghanization of Syria, and this must not spread to the Middle East.'He emphasized, 'Islam is a religion of mercy, with values of brotherhood and humanity. We see these in the document signed under the auspices of the United Arab Emirates between the Pope of Rome and the Sheikh of Al-Azhar. This is the Islam we understand. This is the Christianity we live.'
'The sectarian infidelity of some groups contradicts the pluralistic nature of the Orient and poses an existential threat—not only to Alawites, Druze, Christians, and Shiites—but also to moderate Sunnis, who represent openness, development, and prosperity in the Arab Mashreq, as exemplified by the model promoted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman.'
He added, 'Our opposition targets anything that threatens our existence and identity, including the international conspiracy seeking to alter our entity, structure, identity, and democracy. This is the greatest challenge of the coming phase.We have never been part of the system. Yes, we talk to it and negotiate to pass projects in government and legislation in parliament—but we are not part of it, nor is it part of us. And when we saw its influence infiltrating our ranks, among some of our officials and MPs, we pushed them away.'
Bassil promised that the Movement's current opposition would be different. After 14 years in government, directly or indirectly, it will demonstrate how opposition can be positive, constructive, and purposeful—not negative, destructive, or chaotic.'We will praise what is good, help build with those who build, and hold accountable those who sabotage and destroy,' he said.
'We will maintain this positive approach. We will not sabotage—but this time, we will not take the blame for the saboteurs' actions. We fought to bring electricity. They blocked us and blamed us. But this time, if there is sabotage, they will bear the responsibility, not us.'
Bassil declared, 'Today, we are not just the Free Patriotic Movement—we are the Free Patriotic Opposition. We are not part of the opposition—we are the opposition. We are the Lebanese opposition.'
He emphasized, 'They are all sitting together—the revolutionaries and those against the revolution, the system and its opponents. They are all inside, and none can claim to be the opposition. But they will try to steal the name and the cause from us before the elections. Suddenly, they will all become the opposition. For now, they are all sitting together. We wish them success, and we are with them positively.'
Bassil concluded with a salute to President Michel Aoun:'Twenty years we have celebrated this dinner after your return from exile. You have been with us for twenty years—absent for six years in person. May God forgive those who did what they did to the Lebanese during your presidency. You worked hard in the first year—that's what disturbed them. So they ruined it after a year and destroyed it after two. But nothing will destroy us. Their destruction was upon the country, and we have learned from it—and continue to learn. The important thing is not to tire or despair, as long as Lebanon is our cause. You are our school, and as long as we are the Free Patriotic Decision, we will remain steadfast in our country.'
Bassil concluded, 'The more they persecute the Movement, the stronger it becomes. The more they exclude it, the stronger it grows. And the greater the challenges, the deeper our belief in our right and our commitment to our dignity.'