Berri Warns Region Being 'Redrawn on Ruins of the Sykes-Picot Agreement'

Speaker Nabih Berri warned on Wednesday that the region is witnessing major developments the results of which are “unpredictable.”

He said: “There are signs that a new map of the region is being drawn up on the ruins of the Sykes-Picot agreement.”

He made his remarks during his weekly meeting with lawmakers at his Ain el-Tineh residence.

“The challenges require the Lebanese people to adopt a responsible approach at the beginning of the new year in order to fortify constitutional institutions,” stressed Berri.

The Sykes-Picot agreement was a secret agreement between Britain and France at the end of World War I and demise of the Ottoman Empire, which saw the division of the areas of what are now Lebanon, the Palestinian territories, Iraq, and Syria between the two European powers.

Earlier on Wednesday, media reports said that Berri had warned that the institutions are facing a “great danger” due to the obstruction of the work of parliament and cabinet.

His visitors quoted him as saying: “Those who believe that obstructing parliament and government will resolve the presidential deadlock have been proven wrong seeing as a head of state has not been elected.”

He revealed that he will “remind officials of their responsibilities during the next national dialogue session, which is set for January 11.”

The speaker will focus his efforts in the new year on “reactivating the work of cabinet and parliament,” said his visitors.

The failure to elect a president has led to paralysis at parliament and government, which in turn has crippled state institutions.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

M.T.

D.A.