Christian forces – notably the Lebanese Forces (LF), the Kataeb and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) – who gathered at the seat of the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke on Friday, have tentatively agreed on a draft formula regarding Hezbollah's weapons. This formula would be part of the national charter that Bkerke is expected to declare in the coming days, pending FPM's final approval.
According to some reports, sovereignty comes first in the formula, which should compel Hezbollah to hand over its weapons to the state. However, the FPM has not given its final approval; MP Georges Atallah, representing the party in the talks, will consult with FPM chief, MP Gebran Bassil, to see if he approves of the formula.
Based on the same information, the FPM still refuses the idea of handing in Hezbollah's weapons to the state and the Lebanese army. In this context, the party's representative discussed the implementation mechanism of the project, expressing its refusal to confront the pro-Iranian faction. According to reports, the FPM considers Hezbollah's weapons to have a certain legitimacy, given the "army, people, resistance" formula mentioned in the ministerial statements of several governments.
This stance sparked sharp reactions from representatives of the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb, who maintain that this formula is imposed on all governments, deeply harming Lebanon. It allows monopoly over decisions of war and peace and turns the country into a regional battleground. The LF and Kataeb representatives asked Atallah how it is possible to talk about the state and sovereignty while accepting the presence of illegal weapons that are not subject to any control by the authorities.
Those gathered at Bkerke hoped that the talks on Friday would be the final step before drafting a final formula, but the FPM's ambiguous position made it inevitable to hold another meeting in the coming days, during which the party will clarify its final stance regarding Hezbollah's weapons.
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