Head of Independence Movement says Parliament has power to interpret constitution.

Head of Independence Movement Michel Moawad said the March 14 alliance would not concede over the Cabinet’s policy statement by agreeing to a clause that would legitimize Hezbollah’s arsenal even if the standoff leads to the collapse of the government.

Moawad added that the failure of the Cabinet to endorse a policy statement within the one-month constitutional deadline doesn’t necessarily mean the government enters caretaker mode.

“This is an attempt to intimidate March 14 parties and make them choose between either accepting Hezbollah’s conditions or taking responsibility for the collapse of the government,” he said.

The power to interpret the constitution goes to Parliament, according to Moawad who stressed that Speaker Nabih Berri cannot take on the role of all lawmakers and confiscate the prerogatives of parliament.

“With all due respect to the speaker, Parliament is entitled to decide whether the deadline is intended as an enticement for the speedy adoption of a policy statement or a closing date after which the government enters caretaker mode.”

The standoff between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions represents more than a political disagreement over the policy statement, Moawad told a large crowd of officials, diplomats and March 14 supporters that participated in the Independence Movement’s annual dinner in Sydney, Australia.

“The standoff is over our perception of Lebanon. March 14 sees Lebanon as a country of national coexistence and moderation while Hezbollah considers Lebanon as a follower of Iran’s supreme leader,” he said.

Moawad warned that Hezbollah and its allies were seeking to depict the confrontation between the rival coalitions as a sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites in a bid to lure Christians into a minority alliance.

“The confrontation is neither between Sunnis and Shiites nor between a majority and an alliance of minorities. The confrontation is between extremists and moderates,” Moawad said.

Hezbollah represent extremism equally to radical Sunni movements fighting in Syria, Moawad added.

“We refuse to seek the protection of those affiliated with dictators and authoritarian regimes that claim to defend minorities. We choose to build Lebanon hand in hand with our moderate Muslim partners under the protection of the state.”

Laying the foundations of a strong and sovereign state requires Hezbollah to surrender its weapons to legitimate authorities, Moawad said.

“There is no such thing as sacred weapons. The possession of weapons by state authorities is legal whereas it is illegal in the case of Hezbollah has occupied Beirut in 2008 and is fighting alongside Assad against the Syrian people under the pretext of the resistance.”

The government should distance Lebanon from regional conflicts by adopting the Baabda Declaration and the principles of the Bkirki Charter, Moawad added.

“The March 14 alliance is seeking stability and economic prosperity to guarantee a successful future for the Lebanese similar to your success in Australia,” Moawad told March 14 supporters.

Speaking on behalf of March 14 forces in Australia, Lebanese Forces representative in Sydney Charbel Fakhry said Hezbollah is criticizing President Michel Sleiman because the latter is defending Lebanon’s sovereignty.

“They are attacking President Sleiman in the same context that led to the assassination of former President Rene Moawad who defended a sovereign Lebanese state,” Fakhry said.

Hundreds of Lebanese expatriates and March 14 supporters participated alongside businessmen, religious figures, diplomats and Australian MPs Barbara Berry and Toni Issa in the annual dinner organized by the Independence Movement in Sydney.