Majdalani to Bassil: Your ally [Nasrallah] allied with Al Qaeda

Future Movement MP Atef Majdalani spoke out against Energy Minister Gebran Bassil on Saturday after the latter accused  members of March 14 forces of assisting Al Qaeda under the name of “Fatah al Islam”.      

He recalled that “Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, an ally of Bassil, drew a ‘red line’ for the LAF and sought to protect Fatah al Islam, which means that the energy minister’s ally is allied with Al Qaeda under the name of Fatah al Islam.”      

Majdalani told Free Lebanon radio station that March 14 forces, the Future Movement in particular, and the Siniora cabinet were all against Fatah al Islam and Al Qaeda during Nahr Al Bared incident, “which was manifested by the popular sympathy with the LAF in the north.”    

Majdalani added that “it is the cabinet’s responsibility to clarify whether Al Qaeda is present or not in Arsal amid contradictory official positions” as he said “it is not permissible that Defense Minsiter Fayez Ghosn announces the presence of these members in Arsal while Charbel, Sleiman and Mikati refute the claim.”