Berri Says Proposal on Policy Statement Includes Defense of Natural Resources
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri has refused to reveal the details of a proposal made with Progressive Socialist Party chief Walid Jumblat to resolve the resistance deadlock in the policy statement but stressed that the clause included Israeli attacks on Lebanon's natural resources.
Berri and Jumblat, a centrist and the head of the National Struggle Front parliamentary bloc, have made a joint proposal that will be discussed on Tuesday during the tenth meeting of a seven-member committee tasked with drafting the policy statement of Prime Minister Tammam Salam's cabinet.
In remarks to al-Akhbar daily, Berri stressed that the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance held onto the word “resistance” for being an essential aspect of Lebanon's rights to confront Israel.
But he said that the proposal does not only lie on consolidating the role of the resistance in the military and security aspects.
“It also includes any Israeli aggression on Lebanon's resources … in particular oil and water that the resistance and the Lebanese should defend,” Berri, who is also the head of the Amal movement allied with Hizbullah, said.
Reports said the joint proposal stemmed from a statement made by Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil at the meeting of the Arab Foreign Ministers held in Cairo on Sunday.
The closing statement of the meeting called for "the right of Lebanon and the Lebanese to liberate and recover the Shebaa Farms, the Kfarshouba Hills and the Lebanese part of the Ghajar village, and to resist any Israeli aggression or occupation through the legitimate means."
Bassil proposed it after coordinating with President Michel Suleiman and Salam.
Officials expressed hope on Tuesday that the ministerial committee would approve the proposal of Berri and Jumblat as the deadline for agreeing on the blueprint approaches.
Berri warned in his remarks to al-Akhbar that the government would be considered resigned if the committee failed to draft the policy statement by March 17, when the one-month deadline set by the Constitution to refer the blueprint to parliament for a vote of confidence ends.
“I would then contact the president and ask him under article 64 (of the Constitution) to call for binding parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister given that the current cabinet becomes a caretaker government,” he said.
11 March 2014, 08:46
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“It also includes any Israeli aggression on Lebanon's resources … in particular oil and water that the resistance and the Lebanese should defend,” Berri, who is also the head of the Amal movement allied with Hizbullah, said.
Bravo! give more excuses to the terror party to control our lives and start wars when they feel like it or when they get the orders to do so. Defending ones land and resources is a given and nobody is denying Lebanon's right to defend itself if attacked. Does the Syrian government of Bashar Assad who still has the Golan Heights occupied have a policy statement mentioning "Resistance". This is a farce
11 March 2014, 08:48
66
Lebanon like any oner nation has the right to defend its land and resources as a nation but not as a resistance. End of story khalas
11 March 2014, 08:52
56
very good, and nobody in the international community would even debate that. Inclusion of the "resistance" is intended for internal lebanese purposes only to legitimize HA and HA only since the so called resistance is exclusive only to the shia of HA.
11 March 2014, 09:03
54
So you are , denying that HA is the resistance of Lebanon ; but you believe it because you deny it .
11 March 2014, 08:55
42
Berri and Jumblat, a centrist and the head of the National Struggle Front parliamentary bloc, have made a joint - naharnet
11 March 2014, 10:23
33
l'experience de la guerre du Liban, irak, Libye, syrie... a toujours demontré que aucune milice n'a jamais accepter de rendre les armes de son bon grès. personne ne renonce à un si grand pouvoir. un jour, il faudra les obliger par la force.
11 March 2014, 11:28
04
since all parties agreed and blessed the patriarch road map let the latter be the policy statement
11 March 2014, 13:16
54
Hezbollah should never be linked to Lebanon's natural ressources and it's defence !
They have far exceeded their fake mandate of protecting Lebanon against Israeli aggression and "liberating" our land from occupation.
No way in hell will they be linked to our ressources should there be a war to prevent this !
11 March 2014, 13:20
42
We need a moderate parliament speaker not a useless one sided speaker that divides the country more and more.
11 March 2014, 15:23
41
“It also includes any Israeli aggression on Lebanon's resources … in particular oil and water that the resistance and the Lebanese should defend..........
1) Having to mention "resistance" and "Lebanese". What does that mean? It could mean the resistance is not Lebanese. It could also mean "resistance" is more special than "Lebanese".
3) Safeguarding our natural resources from Israel alone is not sufficient. We also need to safe guard them from Syria, HA, Jumblat, Amal and other Politicians. So the resistance is useless for that.
11 March 2014, 23:43
10
Oh we didn't know. Thank your for enlightening us that I have the inherent right to defend my land and the resources. Oh yeh, that must be Lebanon's decision, not Iran.
