Phalange Announces Proposal to Amend Constitution: Neutralizing Lebanon from Region's Crises Must Become Binding
Phalange Party MP Sami Gemayel announced on Tuesday coming forward with a suggestion to amend the preamble of the constitution to stipulate Lebanon's neutrality towards regional conflicts.
"We request amending the constitution to clearly state that Lebanon must stay neutral towards regional events,” Gemayel said after the weekly meeting of the party's political bureau.
He elaborated: "We are very concerned about Lebanese factions' participation in the Syrian war and this can lead to transferring the fighting into Lebanon.”
“We remind those publicly declaring that they have fighters in Syria, particularly Hizbullah, that they have signed the Baabda Declaration that clearly states we must disassociate Lebanon from regional crises,” the MP noted.
"Any involvement in the neighboring country's war will lead to dragging other factions into the conflict as well,” he warned.
“The Baabda Declaration must be adopted in the constitution and in the laws so that no one can act against it. It will be considered illegal if the declaration is breached.”
The Baabda Declaration was unanimously adopted during a national dialogue session in June 2012. It calls for Lebanon to disassociate itself from regional crises, most notably the one in Syria.
Gemayel said the draft the Phalange is coming forward with will be discussed with all political parties and parliamentary blocs' heads in the country: “We will reveal who agreed to sign the petition and who did not so that the public can be aware of the factions' stances."
"The situation has become urgent and we want real commitment rather than intentions. The constitution and the laws are binding.”
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah stated in April that he will not hesitate to help the Lebanese in Syria’s border town of al-Qusayr.
”We won't leave the Lebanese in Qusayr's countryside vulnerable to attacks and we will not hesitate to help them,” Nasrallah said explaining his party’s involvement in the Syrian conflict.
He also announced that Hizbullah fighters are defending holy places in the area: “Armed groups are only hundreds of meters away from the Sayyeda Zainab shrine and Takfirist groups launched clear threats on the Internet that they will destroy the shrine should they enter the area."
As a response to the party's involvement in Syria's war, several Salafist Sunni leaders have announced sending fighters to the neighboring country to participate in battles alongside the opposition's rebels in al-Qusayr.
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