Policy Statement Draft Finally Adopted
The ministerial committee in charge of drafting the new government”s platform finally thrashed out a policy statement late Friday, with the council of ministers expected to ratify the draft on Monday before presenting it to Parliament later next week.
Information Minister Tarek Mitri walked out of the committee”s 14th and final meeting to tell reporters at the Grand Serail that the committee has finally reached an agreement over the ministerial statement despite some reservations by Minister of State Nassib Lahoud.
Mitri said that the reservations, which were later clarified by Lahoud, would hopefully be dropped after further consultations between the ministers and Prime Minister Fouad Siniora ahead of an expected cabinet session on Monday.
Regarding the controversial issue of how to refer to the resistance in the ministerial statement, Mitri said that the committee agreed on a phrase that speaks about the right of the Lebanese people, army and resistance to use any legal means to liberate the remainder of the Lebanese territories that are occupied by Israel, namely the Shebaa Farms, the Kafar Shuba Hills and the border village of Ghajar.
Mitri explained that some committee members wanted the phrase on liberating Lebanon”s remaining occupied territories to include a clause stating that such activities should be carried out under the guardianship of the Lebanese state.
Mitri later gave the floor to Lahoud, who told reporters that he was still insisting that the statement should mention that the right to liberate the occupied territories should be exercised under the guardianship of the state.
The issue of the resistance was reportedly the main hurdle that was causing the delay in issuing the draft statement.
Earlier on Friday, Siniora said that the council of ministers was likely to hold a session on Monday to adopt the new ministerial statement.
In a brief chat with reporters after the Friday prayer at the Grand Serail, Siniora refused to comment on recent criticism by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who told the local As-Safir newspaper in remarks published on Friday that the premier was creating hurdles in the face of the new ministerial statement.
"I am glad for always being on Speaker Berri”s mind, but the truth is that I cannot compete with his sense of humor," Siniora said.
Siniora said he was optimistic about finishing the the draft statement on Friday. "It took us 14 sessions to draft the new government”s policy statement, but I believe that the final output will be good for all and will unify the Lebanese," he said.
Asked about how the resistance would be mentioned in the ministerial statement, Siniora stressed that resistance is a general Lebanese cause which is not restricted to one party.
"Upon reading the ministerial statement, you will realize that the state is the authority in charge of providing security and safety for the people … liberation is also part of the state”s duties," he said.
"Nobody wants to ignore the sacrifices that the resistance had made in the past years to end occupation, but no party can monopolize resistance and accuse others of being against it," he added. The premier stressed that the resistance issue would be further discussed during upcoming national dialogue sessions which will be chaired by President Michel Sleiman.
Meanwhile, Berri visited the Presidential Palace on Friday and discussed with Sleiman the latest developments regarding the drafting of the statement.
Sleiman and Berri both voiced hope that the ministerial committee would finish its work on Friday as a first step toward the draft”s adoption by the government, which would later sit for a vote of confidence in Parliament.
Also on Friday, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said after receiving British Ambassador Frances Mary Guy at his residence that protecting and defending Lebanon should be the exclusive duty of the security and armed forces.
"Past circumstances have led to the rise of some popular movements, but this does not change the fact that the only solution for Lebanon is to have the armed and security forces defend the country and preserve security," Geagea said.
"The army is the resistance and the state is the resistance … state institutions, particularly the armed forces, are Lebanon”s only salvation," he added.
Meanwhile, news reports on Friday said that Geagea had paid an unscheduled visit to parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri late on Thursday.
The meeting between Hariri and Geagea reportedly revolved around the drafting of the policy statement in addition to an imminent March 14 Forces meeting to revive the coalition ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Geagea”s visit came after a similar visit by Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt with Hariri on Tuesday.
Jumblatt told reporters on Friday that his meeting was aimed at preparing for an imminent meeting for the leaders of the March 14 coalition.
Jumblatt added that the March 14 Forces would be united during next year”s parliamentary elections. A parliamentary majority source was also quoted as telling the Central News Agency on Friday that the March 14 general meeting would take place early next week.