The ministerial committee assigned to draft the cabinet policy statement reached a dead end in its discussions over the controversial issue of the resistance”s arms.
The committee held on Wednesday its sixth session and is expected to meet again on Thursday.
An-Nahar newspaper reported that Hizbullah and Amal representatives in the committee insisted on dealing with the Hizbullah arms issue like in the previous government policy statement.
March 14 forces, however, firmly rejected the formula adopted in the former ministerial statement on Hizbullah”s arms, according to An Nahar.
Information Minister Tareq Mitri dismissed allegations that border demarcation with Syria was one of the issues hampering progress in the statement blueprint.
"Media reports mentioned that border demarcation with Syria and establishing diplomatic ties (with Damascus) is one of the controversial issues…which is incorrect," Mitri said Wednesday.
"We are discussing national choices (that we will make) which surpass such issues," he added.
Mitri made the remark to reporters following a four-hour meeting of the committee at the Grand Serail on Wednesday.
The information minister stressed the committee is "carrying out its mission of drafting the policy statement. It isn”t playing a role other than the one assigned to it."
Mitri”s remark came in reaction to comments made by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri following a meeting with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace.
Berri criticized the committee, saying its members are behaving as if they were a "national dialogue" conference.
"Let the president handle his own mission," Berri said in reference to the national dialogue conference that Suleiman is to sponsor.