BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman called Saturday for an inclusive government that can garner the widest political support and stressed the need for a return to the Baabda Declaration which aims to distance Lebanon from the crisis in Syria.
“Sleiman stressed to his visitors on the importance of intensifying efforts in order to participate in a government that incorporates everyone and enjoys the broadest support,” his office said in a statement.
Sleiman’s comments come only two days after he voiced support for the establishment of a neutral Cabinet in the event a government in which all political parties are represented could not be formed.
The March 14 alliance, the country’s opposition, has demanded the formation of a neutral Cabinet.
Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who heads the opposition Future Movement, urged Hezbollah Friday to mirror his party’s plans to stay out of the next Cabinet.
In his televised speech, Hariri said his call for staying out of the Cabinet would create a government capable of addressing people’s pressing needs at a distance from political bickering.
Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam has been struggling to form a new Cabinet for more than three months given conditions and counter-conditions by rival Lebanese camps.
Salam is seeking a Cabinet of “national interest.”
Sleiman also said Saturday it was important to “correct paths and return to the Baabda Declaration,” which he described as a “safety net against any foreign stance or assault for those who abide by it.”
The president is referring to Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria, which he slammed Thursday during a speech for National Army Day. The EU recently blacklisted the Lebanese group’s military wing.
During his speech, Sleiman implicitly blasted Hezbollah’s military role in Syria, saying the blood of Lebanese should not be sacrificed to serve the interests of other countries.
“The Army’s mission becomes difficult if one or more Lebanese parties become involved in conflicts outside the border, which would lead to importing external crises to Lebanon,” Sleiman said.
“If the dualism of legitimate and illegitimate arms continues, the Army’s mission will become difficult if not impossible,” he added.
Sleiman’s remarks represented a shift in the president’s support for the resistance group as he said Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria underlined the need to review a national defense strategy.
The president has proposed a defense strategy that would incorporate Hezbollah’s arms into the military and under the command of the Lebanese Army.
