Who has the right to resist, Lebanon or Hizbullah”s resistance?
The question reflects the controversy that has consumed 12 sessions by a ministerial committee seeking to draft a policy statement for Premier Fouad Saniora”s cabinet, that would only rule after winning a parliamentary vote of confidence in its charter.
A 13th session was scheduled for Thursday in an effort to reconcile Hizbullah”s stand with that of the majority.
The Hizbullah stand refers to the "right of Lebanon and its resistance to liberate the land." While the majority”s stand was outlined by the phrase "the right of Lebanon and its people to resist."
Hizbullah”s stand obviously reflects a concept that considers "the resistance" an entity by itself and the state of Lebanon another entity.
The majority”s approach, however, adheres to the "sole entity Lebanon" and restricts the right to resist to this entity as represented by constitutional institutions.
The majority wants the controversial topic of Hizbullah weapons – referred to in the party”s political parlance as "the resistance" – tackled during national dialogue that President Michel Suleiman is setting the stage to sponsor after overcoming the policy statement deadlock.
Information Minister Tareq Mitri, talking to reporters after the ministerial committee”s 12th session on Wednesday, said the body was "close to adopting final versions for many issues."
Deliberations would proceed Thursday afternoon, Mitri said, emphasizing on the need to "adopt a version satisfactory to all (factions), crystallizing Lebanon”s right to regain its occupied territories through legitimate and available methods."
The hoped for version, according to Mitri, also should settle the controversy about "the relation between the state and the resistance."
"This takes time, not within the committee only, but also beyond the committee”s framework," Mitri said in an apparent effort to explain that the thorny issue of Hizbullah weapons also is being tackled by leaders of the various factions.
Saniora”s office, in a statement released Wednesday, said the approach that is "believed to meet the interests and aspirations of the Lebanese people is to safeguard the right of the Lebanese (people) in resisting the occupation with all available and legitimate methods so that not a single side would monopolize this right and impose its style and options without taking into consideration the principle of safeguarding the state of Lebanon with its powers to enforce law and protect the interests of all its citizens resisting by weapons or without weapons."
However, Hizbullah responded by warning that Lebanon "doesn”t exist without resistance and there would be no policy statement without resistance."
Hussein Khalil, advisor to Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, outlined the stand in remarks to reporters on Wednesday.
The controversy appears tantamount to some sort of a "resistance syndrome", for which a healing method is yet to be developed.