Phalange Party Stresses Dialogue Importance, Says Hizbullah to Blame for Suspension
The Phalange Party on Monday said it “reiterates its firm stance on national dialogue and its importance,” but held Hizbullah responsible for “torpedoing the agenda of the national dialogue committee as laid out by the president.”
The party accused Hizbullah of trying to block any debate on the so-called defense strategy by seeking a “liberation strategy, which would therefore turn the (dialogue) committee into a paralyzed council that is similar to the incompetent, futile government.”
In a statement issued after the weekly meeting of its political bureau, the party also expressed its “full solidarity” with President Michel Suleiman “who is seeking to spare the country the repercussions and threats of the crises” in the region.
Earlier on Monday, Suleiman postponed the national dialogue session that was set to be held on Tuesday after the March 14 camp announced that it will be boycotting the all-party talks.
The next session will now be held on August 16.
The March 14 camp had decided to boycott the session over “the refusal of Hizbullah’s leadership to discuss the issue of arms.”
The March 14 forces announced three preconditions to take part in any upcoming dialogue session: “Handing over the complete telecom data (related to the attempt on MP Boutros Harb’s life), including the IMSI, to the security agencies; lifting the political and factional cover off the suspects; and abiding by the Lebanese Constitution which underlines the exclusive authority of the state over arms.”
Last week, MP Mohammed Raad, head of Hizbullah’s Loyalty to Resistance bloc, said: “Let those who don’t want the Resistance tell us about the method they will adopt to liberate the rest of our land.”
“Right now, we don’t want a national defense strategy, as we’re still in the phase of liberation and we have plenty of time ahead to discuss the defense strategy after liberation,” Raad added.
Separately, the Phalange Party hailed President Suleiman’s decision to ask Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour to file a complaint with Syria over “the recurrent violations against Lebanese sovereignty” by its forces.
The party called on the Lebanese government to “fully shoulder its responsibilities in preserving sovereignty and protecting stability and the citizens’ security.”
Source: Agence France Presse
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