Bassil calls for 'course correction' as Parliament debates govt. policy
Parliament convened Tuesday to debate the government's general policy amid Israeli attacks on the country's south.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the session was held to debate the government performance and not to question the cabinet or hold a vote of confidence.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam opened the debate by emphasizing that war and peace decisions must be taken solely by the Lebanese state, asserting that the country will not serve as a "bargaining chip" in foreign negotiations.
Salam said that Lebanon was thrust into a war "we did not choose, nor were we consulted on entering."
He warned that the destruction far exceeds the state’s current resources, making Arab and international backing indispensable for recovery. "Sustainable reconstruction requires funding, funding requires trust, and trust cannot exist without a capable state, which naturally demands reform," he said.
Salam said negotiations with Israel are far from simple, adding that the success of these negotiations can only be judged by their final outcomes.
Hezbollah MP Ali Ammar vowed that Hezbollah will not disarm "as long as a single inch of Lebanese land remains occupied." He said he wished Salam had not adopted a policy of "turning a blind eye" to the history of Israeli aggression against Lebanon.
Free Patriotic Movement leader and MP Gebran Bassil harshly criticized Salam's cabinet, dubbing it a government of "axes and submission." He said the government has opened the door to discord, failed to establish a state monopoly on weapons, and lacks a plan for reform.
"We support negotiations with Israel to stop the war, as Hezbollah's weapons can no longer protect Lebanon," he said. "We fully support a complete state monopoly on arms, but disarmament cannot be implemented by relying on foreign backing — we call for a course correction."
Source: Naharnet
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