Report: Suleiman Insistent on Including Baabda Declaration in Policy Statement
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman has emphasized to his visitors on Monday the need to include the Baabda Declaration in the new government's policy statement, reported the daily al-Joumhouria on Tuesday.
Widely informed sources told the daily that Suleiman will not, “under any circumstances,” accept the elimination of the Baabda Declaration from the statement.
He had relayed this message to Prime Minister Tammam Salam and head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad during separate meetings on Monday.
“The complications that the region is passing through as a result of the Syrian crisis obligates the Lebanese government to commit to the Declaration,” he explained to Salam.
For his part, Raad presented to the president Hizbullah's “reservations on the Declaration that are preventing the party from recognizing it in light of the developments in Syria and their impact on Lebanon.”
Suleiman responded however by highlighting how the Declaration helped outline Lebanon's foreign policy, which in turn brought about international support for the country on all levels.
This was demonstrated through the formation of the International Support Group for Lebanon in September 2013.
The president will not be lenient with the attempts to eliminate the Baabda Declaration from the ministerial statement and “this position will be demonstrated through his ministers during the session to discuss draft statement.”
The ministerial committee tasked with drafting the policy statement failed again on Monday to agree on a final proposal as the March 14 camp insisted on including the Baabda Declaration as a main clause.
The March 8 coalition was given 24 hours to consider the suggestion before the committee's meeting at 6:30 pm at the Grand Serail on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister and committee member Jebran Bassil told al-Joumhouria after Monday's meeting: “Attempts to include the Baabda Declaration in the statement will fail.”
The International Support Group was launched by United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon with Suleiman to help mobilize support and assistance for Lebanon’s stability, sovereignty and state institutions and to specifically to encourage assistance for the Lebanese army, Syrian refugees in Lebanon and host communities and government programs and public services impacted by the Syrian crisis.
25 February 2014, 08:31
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Foreign Minister and committee member Jebran Bassil told al-Joumhouria after Monday's meeting: “Attempts to include the Baabda Declaration in the statement will fail.”… whats the big deal gigi, the Iranian militia agreed to the Baabda Declaration and afterwards officially declared war to prop up Assad. Putting it the Policy Statement will mean nothing to them.
25 February 2014, 08:42
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---karim_m2--, when has the President worshiped Saudi Arabia? Have the Saudi's provided him with an Arabian militia & thousands of rockets? Have you ever heard the President threaten to go to war if the Saudi's are attacked?
I understand that you would prefer one of Assad lackeys for the post but there is no need to constantly lie.
25 February 2014, 08:45
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it is obvious the Iranians want to control our country ( see the comment of karim and basil ).
they insist on turning our country into a war zone!
it is people like karim (an Iranian) who thinks that Lebanon is a part of iran, thus he requests a "pro-Lebanese president"!
is this for real? are the Iranians so much in control of our country that they annexed it without us knowing about it?
:)
25 February 2014, 08:48
103
Funny, other M8ers proclaimed that he rose to Army Commanders because he was Assad,s guy. Make up your mind.
In my mind he is 100% pure Lebanese. Weak? maybe. Wise? yes.
25 February 2014, 12:02
12
Roar brother, as @speakfreely said, calm down. You are there down under, living in complete safety, you at least can plan for the next ten years to come, here in Lebanon we hardly can for the next ten hours. President Suleiman is a consensual president that was elected under a dire situation, his work if you still don't know is nothing short of miraculous. He may not please everyone, that for sure, but at least he has kept Lebanon from going down under. Brother, the FPM has now for sometime been sponging its wrath on our president and its partisans simply echo the mood all too readily, but then, aren't we used to this? All I am saying brother, keep calm, in Lebanon most people support the president, especially since we've nowhere else to go.
25 February 2014, 13:23
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@Mr. the-r I do. I support the president and every moderate, this in response to your question who do you know this?
25 February 2014, 13:26
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in a matter of fact I wish he would start his own political party. I think many Lebanese are thirsty for a moderate all inclusive political party. I think he would be a fine leader for such a political movement.
25 February 2014, 13:52
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Last time General Aoun sat on that chair in Baabda, not only did he burn the chair itself, but he also burnt Baabda itself, Bkirke, abused the Patriarchate, refused to leave when called upon and ended up burning all of Lebanon, starting from what was the only resistance to Syrian hegemony and occupation, the Christian Resistance. Did president Suleiman do that bro? He has been insistent all along that come May, he will leave, even if people like me encouraged him to stay on for at least 3 years. But as I said earlier, when the FPM bedevils someone, then the same night, almost every FPMer follows suit and unquestioningly so. Wasn't Bachir Gemayel the old man's supreme role model? What happened when old Aoun cast doubt on that? Always two sides to a coin, never one as you want us to believe.
25 February 2014, 13:45
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Roar, where did I insult, where? Bro, you are in a bad mood, and this has been so for quite a while. I've stood for you all the time, but you are bitter for reasons well beyond my understanding. But it's perfectly OK by me, after all, we are not here to fight each other, far from that, each one of us has his or her opinion, and it is not by your measure of acrimony that we could go anywhere ahead with you. I will repeat this for you, please calm down brother, no one is perfect, no one is always right, we are only human and we do err from time to time, but in your case you seem to insist that you are right all the time, that on its own impairs your ability to break the mould. Anyway, till you feel more composed brother.
