Berri: Baabda Declaration Not Fit to be Policy Statement
Speaker Nabih Berri said Tuesday that the Baabda Declaration cannot become the new government's policy statement and accused several parties of turning it into a Trojan Horse.
In remarks to As Safir newspaper, Berri said: “The Baabda Declaration is not fit to be a policy statement...which usually includes a description of the government’s policy in all fields such as electricity, , development, economy and security.”
Berri held onto the army-people-resistance formula, saying it should be mentioned in the statement as with the previous governments.
“The right of the resistance is enshrined in the Taef accord and in 18 decisions issued by Arab foreign ministers,” he told the daily.
“Everybody knows that a large segment of the Lebanese insist on the army-people-resistance formula,” Berri said.
The Baabda Declaration should facilitate dialogue and not complicate it, he said, adding that some parties were trying to use it as a Trojan Horse to hit the formula and hinder the work of the national dialogue participants and the policy statement.
Berri wondered how al-Mustaqbal movement was rejecting its participation in national dialogue before the resignation of Premier Najib Miqati and now is making a similar boycott until the new government is formed.
“We are lost,” he said mockingly.
Last month, Berri proposed a resumption of national dialogue at Baabda palace under President Michel Suleiman for a period of at least five consecutive days to discuss the form and policy statement of the future cabinet in the presence of Premier-designate Tammam Salam.
He has also called for the revival of talks on a new electoral law, and supporting the military to deal with arms proliferated in several regions, in addition to addressing a national defense strategy, a reference to Hizbullah's arms.
But the proposal came under fire from al-Mustaqbal officials, mainly the parliamentary bloc leader MP Fouad Saniora, who on Monday described it as a “waste of time.”
Berri told As Safir that he launched his initiative over the “dangers of the trapped vacuum.” The so-called roadmap is the only solution to lead to dialogue and form the government in the absence of other alternatives, he said.
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