Phalange: Regional Situation Requires Constant Contacts on Lebanese, Arab, International Scenes

The Phalange Party stressed on Monday the need to fortify Lebanon against the repercussions of the developments in the Arab world.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “The situation in the region requires constant contacts between the leaderships in Lebanon and the Arab, regional, and international scenes.”

The meeting, headed by party leader Amin Gemayel, also addressed his recent trip to Turkey where he met with its Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

Regarding President Michel Suleiman’s decree last week to withdraw the Lebanese nationality from foreigners “who don’t deserve it”, the statement said: “As much as we welcome the decision, it is not enough.”

It questioned the effectiveness of withdrawing the Lebanese nationality from some 300 individuals when some 200,000 were illegally granted the nationality in 1997 in a manner that destabilized demographics in Lebanon.

The Phalange Party called on officials “to reconsider the nationality decree altogether and present a draft law that would ensure that it be granted to those who deserve it.”