LF lashes out at Deputy PM Mitri over Hezbollah arms

The Lebanese Forces has blasted Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri over remarks that he voiced regarding the thorny issue of Hezbollah’s weapons, accusing him of disregarding “the Taif Agreement, the U.N. resolutions, the latest ceasefire agreement, the presidential inauguration address and the ministerial statement.”

“We said in the ministerial statement that it is the state’s right and duty to monopolize carrying weapons, but we did not say when or how that will be achieved,” the LF quoted Mitri as saying in an interview.

“He forgot that ministerial statements are work programs and not merely declarations of intent,” the LF added.

“He also said that the issue of arms would be discussed during the debate over a national security strategy, although the issue of arms was permanently settled in the Taif Agreement, the U.N. resolutions, the latest ceasefire agreement, the presidential inauguration address and the ministerial statement, and only implementation remains pending,” the LF said.

As for Mitri’s remarks that the army needs to be equipped before working on the removal of Hezbollah’s arms, the Lebanese Forces said “the army and anything in Lebanon will not be equipped as long as there are weapons outside” the army.

“Lebanon’s Arab and international friends will continue to boycott Lebanon if the government does not regain the decisions of war and peace as soon as possible,” the LF added, calling on the government to “collect all illegal weapons and put them in the hand of the Lebanese Army.”