Moawad says Independence Movement opposes policy statement despite the participation of March 14 parties in the government.

Head of Independence Movement Michel Moawad said the March 14 coalition conceded over the policy statement that lacked any reference to the Baabda Declaration and the state’s exclusive right to resist occupation.

“After nearly a month of negotiations, the March 14 alliance backed down and accepted a compromise policy statement,” Moawad said.

Nevertheless, the elimination of the clause that gives the “army, people and resistance” the right to defend Lebanon and liberate its occupied territories is an accomplishment, Moawad added.

“The abolition of the tripartite formula of the ‘army, people and resistance’ that featured in previous policy statements ends Hezbollah’s monopoly over the resistance and eradicate the logic behind its fighting in Syria and its use of weapons against the Lebanese .”

According to Moawad, the duplicity in the policy statement, which gives citizens the right to bear arms while calling on the state to assume its role in liberating occupied territories, undermines the state’s authority and its sovereignty.

“The failure to mention the Baabda Declaration is a blow to efforts to distance Lebanon from regional conflicts particularly that Hezbollah is fighting in Syria. The policy statement maintains the duplicity of weapons which Lebanon has been paying the price for.”

For all these reasons, the Independence Movement voices its opposition to the Cabinet’s policy statement despite its allies’ efforts in drafting the document, Moawad added.