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World Bulletin / News Desk

The former Lebanese President Amine Gemayel on Monday said that the Syrian regime wished to distract attention by exporting violence to Lebanon.

Speaking to the Anadolu Agency (AA) in Istanbul where he came to attend an international conference titled "Arab Spring and Peace in the New Middle East: Muslim and Christian Perspectives", Gemayel indicated that Syria wanted to export its crisis to Lebanon.

"The turmoil in Syria may affect Lebanon. However, I do not believe that Lebanon would return to its days of civil war," Gemayel stressed.

"Lebanon paid a high price for its civil war. Our people suffered a lot and this experience has taught us a lot. The civil war we went through was a crucial experience that helped us get over a new crisis. Lebanon is now strong. Perhaps the crisis in Syria may affect us but I do not believe that Lebanon would return to its days of a civil war," Gemayel noted.

"The Assad regime is used to terrorism and exporting terror. It is no longer possible for the Syrian regime to continue to rule by killing people," Gemayel indicated.

Touching on the abduction of Turkish nationals in Lebanon, Gemayel underlined that those who have abducted the Turks work for the Syrian regime.