Aoun Proposes Changing Lebanon into a Resistance Bastion
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun has proposed a defense strategy blueprint suggesting changing the whole of Lebanon into a resisting community.
A March 14 source termed Aoun”s proposal "catastrophic" in an apparent reference to rejecting it by the majority alliance.
The Aoun document, according to the source, is based on the understanding between his movement and Hizbullah and aims at spreading the resistance to all Lebanese provinces.
The daily An-Nahar said Aoun”s proposal was not thoroughly discussed during the dialogue session presided over by President Michel Suleiman at the Baabda Palace on Wednesday.
A ranking source with the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance said Aoun”s concept of the defense strategy "deserves to be considered."
Democratic Gathering leader Walid Jumblat proposed during the dialogue session that each of the two main groups, March 14 and March 8, presents its own defense strategy blueprint for thorough consideration by the 14 leaders involved in national dialogue to work out a joint concept.
President Suleiman asked participants to prepare their defense strategy proposals for consideration in the forthcoming session scheduled for Dec. 22.
Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri, on his part, called for "bolstering national unity and understanding on the various issues to facilitate agreement on any defense strategy plan."
As-Safir said Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, cabinet minister Mohammed Safadi and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea would present their own defense strategy proposals to the national dialogue”s third session.
The daily al-Akhbar said Aoun”s blueprint focuses on two main headlines: Collective resistance and defining threats that the Lebanese should be ready to confront.
Collective resistance, according to Aoun, means that the defense strategy should be a "bastion" at the economic, political, military and educational levels, noting the defense strategy is "not only related to the topic of resistance, but also includes all issues that should be settled to launch state construction and reform," according to al-Akhbar.
The only threat to Lebanon, according to Aoun”s blueprint, is the "external threat," the report said, noting that it specifically mentioned Israeli aggressions and the "Palestinian topic manipulated by external sides targeting Lebanon”s security."
Al-Akhbar quoted a source who had participated in the Conference on National Dialogue as saying Aoun”s blueprint "did not mention Hizbullah weapons as such, but it called for resistance-army integration.