The Lebanese Forces called for a dialogue meeting in Maarab on Saturday, in a step which expresses keenness on avoiding escalations through emphasizing the necessity of implementing UN Resolution 1701 as a mandatory path for stability in the southern part of the country.
The gathering will be attended by LF and “opposition” MPs, and supporters of Resolution 1701, in the absence of FPM, according to MP Ghassan Hasbani.
The “Maarab meeting will not tackle the presidential issue nor Syrian displacement. Consultations are ongoing to form a front that may be similar to the March 14 Front, but away from tomorrow’s meeting,” Hasbani said.
In an interview with Voice of All Lebanon, Hasbani revealed that “the meeting gives a clear indication of the participants’ intentions to put forward ideas to avoid instability and the expansion of destruction, displacement and assassinations in Lebanon.”
This is Beirut asked LF media sources about the motive for tomorrow’s meeting at this specific time. Sources described the opposition gathering as “a spontaneous national solidarity initiative, aiming to protect the Lebanese arena from internal and external dangers, in light of the absence of state authority where the ‘war or peace’ decision is in the hands of an armed group.”
“The meeting will examine serious and practical steps to put an end to the disintegration of the state and assert the necessity of 1701 implementation,” sources continue.
“The series of assassinations and loose borders, in addition to illegal weapons, pose a serious threat on civil peace,” sources conclude.
Saturday’s debate comes after the Élysée meetings that brought together French President Emmanuel Macron with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun. Élysée’s meeting was followed by an official French statement, which called for practical measures to avoid war, stressing the necessity of “searching for serious steps to get out of the state of stalemate and expedite the election of a president.”
Hence, tomorrow’s gathering might be a reflection of the LF’s keenness to separate Lebanon from outgoing conflicts through neutrality. This was previously shown by the party’s responsible decisions after the assassination of LF Jbeil Coordinator Pascal Sleiman, when several Lebanese parties praised their wisdom in halting any chances of internal tensions which might have led to a “mini civil war.”
LF stances come in support of the previous positions by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, back in 2020. At that time, the LF were among the first to support Rai’s call for neutrality, which was refused by the “Moumanaa” axis who claimed that neutrality is impossible due to the Lebanese geographic location and political status.
This point-of-view intersection between the Lebanese Forces and Bkerke is not new, as the LF historically enjoyed positive and stable relations with the Maronite Patriarchy, notably late Cardinal Nasrallah Sfeir and current Patriarch Rai.