Bkirki Christian meeting: FPM rejects 'instant' disarming of Hezbollah

The Bkirki Christian meeting on Thursday witnessed harmony among the conferees over pluralism, freedom, democracy and the importance of partnership between Muslims and Christians in public sector jobs, a media report said.

The parties, however, showed differences when the issue of “sovereignty and arms” was discussed, the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Friday.

“Some voiced reservations when the defense strategy idea was discussed, arguing that the army, definitely, should be in charge of protecting sovereignty,” the daily added.

“When the discussions tackled distancing Lebanon from conflicts and reaching its positive neutrality, the Free Patriotic Movement agreed to linking that to the presence of a strong army, in line with the Swiss model. It also did not voice reservations over the exclusivity of arms in the hands of the Lebanese Army, but it rejected demanding an instant handover of Hezbollah’s arms, arguing that this process should happen gradually and according to a specific program,” Nidaa al-Watan said.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is meanwhile expected to call for another meeting, likely after Easter, to resume the discussions and approve a unified paper that “addresses all Christian and national concerns,” the newspaper added.