Report: LF Rejects 'Resistance' Clause Ahead of Cabinet Meeting to Discuss Policy Statement

The Lebanese Forces has “strongly rejected" a clause in the government's policy statement related to the “role of the Resistance” and has therefore demanded a replacement and for some time to study the policy before the cabinet convenes, al-Joumhouria daily reported Saturday.

“The Lebanese Forces has strongly disapproved a clause in the policy statement that read the “right of the people for resistance,” asking for replacing it with a clause that reads “right of the Lebanese State for resistance,”” LF source told the daily.

LF has justified that the first version “initiates chaos, opens up the Lebanese situation to the unknown and completely ignores the existence of the Lebanese state.” While the second version, which the LF has insisted to adopt, “emphasizes reference to the Lebanese state, reference to the constitution and applicable laws.”

They emphasized that insistence to adopt the first version means “insisting on undermining the state.”

The sources called on the “government to cancel the clause during Saturday's meeting otherwise it would be an indicator of obstruction intentions.”

A ministerial committee tasked with drafting the new government's policy statement finalized the draft on Friday evening after a second meeting at the Grand Serail.

Media reports said the conferees endorsed the same clause that was used in the policy statement of Tammam Salam's government regarding the so-called army-people-resistance equation.

According to reports, during Friday's meeting the Lebanese Forces' representative “asked for some time to study the draft policy statement, specifically the clause related to the resistance” against Israel.

The statement will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on Saturday after which it will be referred to Speaker Nabih Berri and consequently to parliament for debate and confidence vote.