Suleiman Says Resistance Overstepped Authority Given to it
President Michel Suleiman lashed out at the resistance on Friday, saying that it transcended the power given to it when it decided to engage in battles in the neighboring country Syria.
“I am committed to my inauguration oath but when the resistance surpassed the authority given to it I had to be honest with the public and say what my responsibilities compel my as per my constitutional post,” Suleiman said in comments published in al-Joumhouria newspaper.
Suleiman said that the campaigns against him over his recent remark that “wooden equations” should be evaded, the “people-army-resistance formula was proven to be void.”
He addressed those who are behind the political campaign targeting him, saying: “You agreed to adopt the Baabda declaration then backed down... It was established to safeguard the country from all dangers.”
Suleiman wondered if the involvement in battles in Syria safeguards the country.
He ruled out reports saying that the term “wooden” he used during a speech at the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in February to describe the people-army-resistance formula is the mistake of an adviser.
“They still don't know who Michel Suleiman is,” the president stressed.
Suleiman's comments had enraged Hizbullah, accusing him of not being able to differentiate between “what's golden and what's wooden.”
The party said that Baabda Palace has come to require “special care."
The president reiterated calls on Hizbullah to withdraw from the neighboring country Syria as the matter had a negative impact on Lebanon.
Hizbullah has dispatched fighters to battle alongside the Syrian regime against rebels seeking the overthrow of President Bashar Assad.
The conflict, pitting a Sunni-dominated rebel movement against Assad, has raised sectarian tensions in Lebanon and Lebanese Sunni fighters have also been killed while fighting alongside Syrian rebels.
The Baabda Declaration was unanimously adopted during a national dialogue session in June 2012. It calls for Lebanon to disassociate itself from regional crises, most notably the one in Syria.
Concerning the upcoming presidential elections, Suleiman said that the constitutional deadlines should be respected.
“I will hand over my post and go back home, knowing that I did what my national duty and conscience compel me,”Suleiman told the newspaper.
Suleiman’s tenure ends in May 2014, but the constitutional period to elect a new head of state begins on March 25, two months prior to the expiration of Suleiman’s mandate.
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