Berri Vows to Prevent National Dialogue Leaks to Media
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Speaker Nabih Berri expressed regret on Wednesday that parts of the minutes of the national dialogue session were leaked to the media, saying he would exert efforts to keep the discussions confidential.
In remarks to several newspapers, Berri said the leaks reflect negatively on the atmosphere of dialogue, adding he would discuss the issue with the concerned officials “in the hopes that we would succeed in preventing the leaks that hit the privacy of the discussions and the confidentiality of deliberations.”
The tit-for-tat sectarian abductions in the northern region of Akkar were enough to resume the national dialogue, he said.
Sixteen leaders met at Baabda palace under President Michel Suleiman on Monday after the security situation in northern Lebanon threatened to push Lebanon to the brink of civil war.
Deadly gunbattles between rival armed groups in the Tripoli neighborhoods of Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen pushed Suleiman to invite the leaders to the all-party talks after the fighting was seen as a spillover of the Syrian crisis into Lebanon.
The resistance “is our honor and there is nothing awkward in discussing the defense strategy to safeguard Lebanon against the Israeli dangers,” Berri told the dailies.
His comments came after the opposition al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc said the national dialogue would be useless unless Hizbullah’s arms were addressed at the next session on June 25.
A statement issued after the all-party talks on Monday said the defense strategy would be the main topic of discussion in that session.
Meanwhile, Berri’s deputy Farid Makari, who is an opposition member, told An Nahar daily that the March 14 coalition rejects a differentiation between Hizbullah’s arms and the weapons spread in Lebanese cities and towns.
“The state would rise if the issue of all illegitimate arms is resolved,” he said.
13 June 2012, 08:27
14
The resistance of Hezbollah is not a national resistance, but an Islamic one against zionists.
Therefore it is not in the interests of Lebanon but more in the interests of regional geographic influences/powers. As lebanon is not all Islamic, you cannot have a resistance that is only Islamic.
13 June 2012, 08:39
02
resorting to the army as a uniting factor would be great if the army acts the way it is supposed to, i.e. take over all weapons outside the state starting from jabal mohsen. as well, the army should act in a manner to defend its citizens, and not be the one shooting at its citizens, i.e. the army should not be shooting at people at check points instead of shooting down the tires of the car if they do not stop.
the army should defend the lebanese people at its borders and not allow the syrians to cconduct raids inside lebanon.
these are crucial mattes that would restore the army's image as a uniting factor.
13 June 2012, 10:29
04
Way to go Berri. Another step towards a backwards, closed society. We're supposed to be a democracy here, remember? instead we have politicians who think that their constituents are not to be trusted with information. Shame on you.
Berri, you state the the "resistance is our honor". Fine: YOUR and YOU followers' honor maybe. But remember that to a very significant section of the Lebanese, this "resistance" is nothing more than blackmail, hijacking of the country, and a veiled occupation of Lebanon by Iran. This significant section of Lebanese is oppressed today and held in check by Hezbollah's weapons. But you can oppress people for so long before the lid blows off.
This is going to send the country into the abyss of war, sooner rather than later.
13 June 2012, 13:08
01
It should be on both: Live AND other media. This way the distorting media would be exposed for what it is because we can compare what's being printed / broadcasted with the live unedited version.
13 June 2012, 15:19
00
Thomas friedman once wrote that in the Arb world you can count on what politicians say in private, not what they say in public.
13 June 2012, 15:24
01
they want to keep it confidential so that no one can see the trafficking they make and petty deals between them!
NATIONAL dialogue = so it should be national or do they think that lebanese people are not part of the nation?????
