Berri: Adherence to Privileges Preventing Establishment of the State

Speaker Nabih Berri has urged the Lebanese to set the preservation of their country as a priority saying the “adherence to privileges” was preventing the establishment of the state.

“Lebanon needs the confirmation of its citizens that it represents a top priority for them,” Berri said during the annual charity dinner held by the Lebanese Association for the Welfare of the Disabled at BIEL on Saturday night.

He called for national unity, saying disunity and not Hizbullah’s arms was dividing Lebanon politically.

“Enough seeing the arms as an excuse and claiming that they are being held at our heads,” Berri said in his speech. “What is governing our lives is monopoly and mainly sectarianism” and not the weapons.

Under these circumstances, the preservation of Lebanon has become a Lebanese issue, he said, adding that the regional turmoil and the packed schedule of western countries have prevented them from safeguarding Lebanon.