Berri Says Resistance 'Red Line,' Ready to Propose Policy Statement Solution
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri has said that the resistance is a red line but was ready to make proposals to resolve the dispute on the government's policy statement on condition that the rival parties expressed readiness to agree on a solution on the resistance clause.
Several local dailies quoted Berri as saying on Monday that he would never give up on mentioning the resistance in the policy statement.
“The resistance is a red line entrenched in the land that was liberated through sacrifices,” the speaker, who is also the head of the Amal movement allied with Hizbullah, said about the liberation of the South.
The members of a ministerial committee tasked with drafting the policy statement have been bickering on whether to include a clause on the resistance in the blueprint.
President Michel Suleiman and the March 14 alliance want to drop it but the Hizbullah-led March 8 camp is holding onto it to legitimize Hizbullah’s armed resistance against Israel.
The newspapers said, however, Berri told his visitors that the parties opposing the clause should live for a few days in the South, particularly in areas near the border with Israel, “and then give their opinion, which would be more pragmatic and objective.”
“There are solutions that guarantee to satisfy all parties in the policy statement, but they can't be proposed amid the political tension that renewed lately over certain stances,” he reportedly said.
Berri was referring to the tension between Suleiman and Hizbullah that reached unprecedented levels over the weekend when the president said Lebanese parties should not hold onto inflexible equations that hinder the adoption of the new government's policy statement.
His remark drew a sharp retort from Hizbullah, which said the president needed “specialized care.”
Berri said that he would make proposals to resolve the tension on the resistance clause if there were intentions in that regard. “But any solution would not come at the expense of the resistance.”
An Nahar daily said Monday that Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, a centrist, held telephone conversations with Berri and al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri to resolve the policy statement deadlock.
But the newspaper said that there was still no positive atmosphere in that regard and expected the representatives of Hizbullah and Amal - Ministers Mohammed Fneish and Ali Hassan Khalil - in the ministerial committee to take escalatory measures during the meeting on Monday to ask for discussions on clauses that have been previously approved by its members.
Al-Joumhouria also reported Monday that Prime Minister Tammam Salam met over the weekend with envoys sent by Berri, Jumblat and several other personalities.
The daily quoted the officials who visited Salam as saying that the PM had stressed the importance of preserving the agreement that led to the formation of his 24-member cabinet.
He reportedly said that the policy statement forms the basic part of the work of the government which ends with the presidential elections.
03 March 2014, 08:43
910
I am always saddened by news of attempts to eliminate the resistance, its leaders, and its followers be it from politics, through assassinations, or suicide bombings. Am I alone here?
03 March 2014, 09:41
69
whether hizbushaitan or berry do not want our army to be strong and armed, thus they are blacking the cabinet formation so that the 3 billion dollars aid to the army does not materialize.
hizbushaitan want void in Lebanon so they can continue ruling it.
they are in for a surprise :)
03 March 2014, 09:27
815
"the resistance is a red line"… another freaking RED LINE.
Berri you and Nasrallah can mumble your Resistance BS to each other all day long just stop trying to force it down every one ells throat.
03 March 2014, 09:53
712
screw the resistance , how about that ?!the only way to keep your arms is by pushing the resistance everyday in our face
03 March 2014, 10:14
812
To hell with them. They create tension so that they can legitimize their existence.
03 March 2014, 10:15
87
To hell with them. They create tension so that they can legitimize their existence.
03 March 2014, 10:55
48
Mr. Berri, if you don't attack Israel and stack weaponry of mass destruction in the South, Israel cares the less about the few peasants of yours living in the South. Just spell the magic word Mr, Berri and say that we would like to keep Iran's paper alive in the south to the detriment of all the Lebanese. We are really fed up from brainless people like this ignorant Berri.
03 March 2014, 11:52
66
Mr. Berri, it is in tjis world's nature to evolve, as in evolution, even Crows and Chimps have evolved to use tools to better their existence, except you Sir, you're still stuck in the days of past. Start designing yourself a tool, and that starts by getting out of parliament and letting someone a lot younger and a lot more civilized take your place. Please Sir, if you don't mind, the door.
03 March 2014, 13:04
58
Go to hell Berri! Get a technocratic government in order and sack these criminals who letting Lebanon down.
03 March 2014, 13:05
64
Why can't we have terms for the PM and the speaker of parliament so the same people aren't voted in year in, year out….
03 March 2014, 14:38
38
Don't know why my previous comment was removed.
I will recap :
BERRI and HASSAN will be HANGED from a RED LINE as TRAITORS !
This resistance has expired and shown its true face!
03 March 2014, 15:11
37
Which God ? The one carrying a Kalashnikov on Hezbollah's flag ? Yes, let him bless Berri ...
What a powerless and failed god you follow who needs weapons to give him a sense of might... mighty BS
03 March 2014, 17:01
32
unfortunately, geagea was right, u dont compromise with terrorists...
03 March 2014, 18:07
32
Mr. Berri, there's nothing called red lines anymore, red is now pink.
03 March 2014, 19:29
31
That's right Asteez Nabih, speaker of parliament, of everything constitutional and forbidden la 2ella, the Resistance is a 'Red Line' and as I personalty previously repeatedly warned Nahr el Bared is a 'Red Line' whoever crosses then will pay. So to recapitulate we consider both jihadist brothers in Hezballah and Fateh el Islam divine 'Red Lines' don't mess with then or dare cross them. Asteez Nabih tried to cross them 'Red Lines' back in the late 80s early 90s but instead lost some of his Amal's top officials to unfortunate incidents involving fireworks, know what I mean. Do you hear that Baabda palace resident.
03 March 2014, 20:57
22
The whole deal about the Resistance and the Policy Statement has nothing to do with HA confronting Israel. Hezbollah would engage in this policy with or without. The sanction of a Policy statement. We all see that HA is currently engaged in the Syrian War without sanction from a Policy Statement.
This Policy Statement issue has more to do with HA's illicit activity. The smuggling, gun running, money laundering activities for which HA could be turned over to INTERPOL and other law enforcement agencies by the Lebanese state if the state did not approve of HA's conduct through its Policy Statement. It's about graft and corruption, not about resistance
