March 14: Participation in Anti-IS Coalition Proves State Alone Responsible for Protecting Lebanon

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

The March 14 General Secretariat emphasized on Wednesday the role of the state and army in preserving Lebanon's security, rejecting the participation of Lebanese in foreign conflicts.

It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “Lebanon's joining of the international alliance to combat terrorism and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's participation in the Jeddah and Paris conferences on terror demonstrate that protecting Lebanon is up to the state, government, army, and international coalition.”

“We therefore reject the fighting of Lebanese in foreign conflicts and reject coordination between the Lebanese army and any military that is not part of the international coalition,” it continued.

“The state alone monopolizes the use of arms in accordance to the law and constitution,” it remarked.

“Any violation of this monopoly diminishes its authority,” said the March 14 General Secretariat.

“Protecting Lebanon is the responsibility of all the Lebanese. It is not the duty of one party or sect. Such a party does not have the right to designate for the Lebanese whom it considers to be Lebanon's enemy and take unilateral decisions to combat it,” it said in a reference to Hizbullah and its weapons arsenal.

“Such actions transform Lebanese into second-rate citizens,” it stated.

Bassil had taken part in September in the Jeddah talks aimed at tackling ways to confront the Islamic State group. A similar meeting was held in Paris five months ago.

During the Jeddah meeting, Lebanon was among ten Arab states that rallied behind Washington in the fight against IS jihadists.

But later top officials distanced themselves from the coalition over fears that it would carry out strikes inside Lebanese territories in violation of the country's sovereignty although IS and al-Qaida-linked al-Nusra Front terrorists are threatening Lebanon.

The jihadists do not hold territory in the country, but they have established footholds in remote mountains along Lebanon's remote eastern border, from where they launch incursions and clash with the army.

M.T.

H.K.

Comments 4
Thumb the_roar 18 February 2015, 14:25

If you thought geagea, dory & Amine have become "irrelevant", what do you say about this outdated lot?

lol @ this lot, that not even their own families listen to them.

lololololololololol

Thumb Mystic 18 February 2015, 15:44

M14 are so pathetic. If it stood to them, all of Lebanon would be surrounded & under siege by da3ish/nusra by now, they do not want to engage the enemy, just sit and wait for them to arrive and accept themselves to Baghdadis fake "caliphate".

Missing peace 18 February 2015, 17:41

nice to see how you deny the action of the army and hint that hezbollah alone is defending the county.. pityful traitor you are....

Missing thech 19 February 2015, 12:47

if it stood to them, Lebanon would have one strong unified army more than capable of holding those barbarians off, instead of being split into smaller, bickering ones.