The head of Lebanon’s largest Christian party said on Sunday that a 15-year-old alliance with Hezbollah was no longer working and must evolve, The Associated Press reported. The televised speech by Gebran Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement, signaled an unprecedented level of frustration with Hezbollah and suggested the 2006 alliance credited with helping maintain peace in the small country was in jeopardy. His comments come amid a devastating economic crisis and also ahead of critical parliamentary elections in which his party is expecting tough competition. Bassil, who in the past served as Lebanon’s Foreign Minister, said the alliance is costing him credibility with supporters. He pinned his frustration on Hezbollah’s other ally, the powerful Shiite Amal Movement, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Bassil said in recent months Hezbollah has backed Berri’s Amal at the expense of their own alliance. “We reached an understanding with Hezbollah (in 2006) not with Amal,” Bassil said in an hour-long speech, according to AP . “When we discover that the one making decisions in (this alliance) is Amal, it is our right to reconsider.” Hezbollah, which has a strong political presence in Lebanon, is a major part of the cabinet, after the group and its allies gained more than half the seats of the 128-member Lebanese parliament in the most recent election. The group is the main backer of the Lebanese government headed by Najib Mikati, which was formed in September after a 13-month impasse as the country grapples with one of the worst crises in its history. The Mikati cabinet was formed after the previous Cabinet resigned following the deadly port explosion that rocked the capital of Beirut last August. Over 200 people were killed in the blast, which also left thousands injured and devastated much of the city. A report published following the incident linked Hezbollah to the explosion at the port, saying the group received from Iran many supplies of ammonium nitrate. The report cast doubt over the denial by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah that his group had any connection to the blast in Beirut. Hezbollah and Amal have been widely critical of the investigation into the Beirut Port investigation, accusing the judge of being biased against their allies, a position at odds with Bassil’s party. Bassil, in his remarks, criticized Hezbollah for not backing his party on reform laws that he says aim to weed out corruption and ensure decentralized financial policies, or in efforts to protect constitutional powers of the president. “It is understandable why the Americans want to corner Hezbollah, but it is not understandable why (Hezbollah) wants to corner themselves,” Bassil said of Hezbollah’s alliance with Berri. “We don’t want to cancel or tear apart the (2006) memorandum of understanding. But we want it to evolve because it no longer responds to the challenges, particularly economic and financial, facing us,” he added, according to AP . Related articles: Lebanese President demands proof of former FM's corruption US sanctions former Lebanese minister over Hezbollah ties Lebanese FM: Our partnership with Hezbollah helps stability Lebanon: No to naturalization of 'Palestinian refugees'
