Zahra Says LF to Object if 'Wooden Equation' Mentioned in Policy Statement

Lebanese Forces bloc MP Antoine Zahra has announced that the LF would “voice reservations” should the policy statement of the new government include the controversial “army-people-resistance” equation.

“What reassured us in the oath of office of (President Michel Aoun) were the remarks about resisting terrorism and Israel,” Zahra said in an interview with the privately-owned Akhbar al-Yawm news agency.

“If Hizbullah sees a cover for it in this stance, we only see in it a role for the state and not for other parties. Should this format be endorsed in the policy statement, we will be very relieved and reassured,” Zahra added, noting that “some constructive ambiguity would satisfy all parties.”

“But should there be a return to the wooden army-people-resistance equation, we will voice reservations, because the issue is nonnegotiable for the LF,” he went on to say.

Aoun, an ex-army chief and the founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, was elected president on Monday after a key endorsement from ex-PM Saad Hariri.

Aoun also received crucial support for his presidential nomination from Hizbullah and the LF.

Analysts have warned that Aoun's election will not be a "magic wand" for Lebanon, which has seen longstanding political divisions exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria and has struggled to deal with an influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.

In addition to pledges of economic growth and security, Aoun said in his oath of office that Lebanon must work to ensure Syrian refugees "can return quickly" to their country.

Aoun also pledged to endorse an "independent foreign policy" and to protect Lebanon from "the fires burning across the region."