Aoun: Why have they suddenly remembered Hizbullah landlines?

Source: NowLebanon, 07-05-2008
In an interview with Kuwaiti daily Al-Ray, Aoun spoke of Hizbullah's private network of landlines, noting that it dates back to the establishment of the party. "Why did they remember it now? Are they holding Hizbullah accountable for something they fear as of this moment?"
"It has been proven that this network has not been used to aggress anyone," he added.
Aoun noted that Hizbullah's weapons are directed against 'Israel', but some are trying to turn them toward the inside.
"The (so-called) 'majority' has been receiving weapons through the Beirut international airport and the Baadaran airport in the Chouf Mountain," Aoun said, adding, "Planes carrying weapons are landing there at night."
Aoun said that Syrian tutelage over Lebanon was introduced by the US. "Now that the Syrians are gone, US tutelage remains and is a bigger burden for Lebanon because the US wants to impose unacceptable solutions and is threatening our existence."
"I am not saying that we will defeat the US, but its influence will definitely be restricted in Lebanon and the region because the US deals with the region wrong," Aoun told the paper.
Commenting on his statement in which he declared that paying a visit to Syria is "dear to his heart," Aoun said, "I had declared that after the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, the war is over and a new peaceful reality must be built."
"Some have been criticizing and accusing Syria. I have not participated in such campaigns," Aoun said. "They used to accuse 'Israel' for incidents, and now they are accusing Syria," he added.
Aoun said that so far, 28 assassinations and explosions have taken place, but the interior minister has not yet resigned, adding that he knows of failed assassination attempts against himself.
"They are neither capable of protecting themselves or protecting us. This has driven us to seek our own protection," Aoun said.