Cabinet Approves Policy Statement Amid LF Reservations on 'Resistance' Clause

The cabinet held a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda on Saturday and approved a draft of the government's policy statement amid reservations expressed by Lebanese Forces ministers on the “role of the resistance” clause, the National News Agency said.

The cabinet approved the statement but the LF and State Minister Michel Pharaon expressed reservations as for the clause on the “role of the resistance,” NNA added.

Speaker Nabih Berri has called the parliament for three consecutive meetings starting Tuesday to discuss the ministerial statement.

The statement will be referred to Berri and consequently to parliament for debate and confidence sessions.

A ministerial committee tasked with drafting the new government's policy statement finalized the draft on Friday evening after a second meeting at the Grand Serail.

Reports said the conferees endorsed the same clause that was used in the policy statement of Tammam Salam's government regarding the so-called army-people-resistance equation.

But the LF representative “asked for some time to study the draft policy statement, specifically the clause related to the resistance” against Israel.