Head of the Independence Movement Michel Moawad described the ongoing dialogue between Lebanon’s political factions as positive but added that it has yet to rise to the challenge.

“Dialogue always leaves a positive impact but it should focus on the most pressing challenges facing Lebanon starting with the election of a president,” Moawad said following a meeting Saturday with Speaker Nabih Berri at the latter’s residence in Ain el-Tineh.

Discussions touched on the latest political and security developments on both the domestic and regional level, according to Moawad who urged parties across the political spectrum to act responsibly to protect Lebanon against imminent foreign threats on the Israeli and Syrian borders.

“The state should pursue the implementation of the comprehensive security plan across Lebanese territory,” Moawad said, warning against the adoption of double standards when it comes to the implementation of security measures across Lebanon.

“I agreed with Speaker Berri on the importance of enforcing the law across the Lebanese territory and stressed that we can no longer tolerate assaults targeting the Lebanese Army and legitimate security institutions regardless of the circumstances,” Moawad said.