Kataeb says campaign against Framework Agreement has no constitutional basis
The Kataeb Party's Political Bureau convened its weekly meeting under the chairmanship of party leader Samy Gemayel to review the latest political, security and national developments. Following the meeting, it issued the following statement:
The Political Bureau reaffirms its full support for the Lebanese negotiating delegation participating in the Rome talks, as well as for President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in the face of Hezbollah's continuous efforts to undermine the executive authority and circumvent the framework agreement reached during the Washington talks. Those attempts are aimed at keeping Lebanon an open arena for regional conflict and a bargaining chip in Iran's hands.
The bureau expresses hope that the Rome talks would yield an agreement on the implementation mechanisms and timeline for the framework deal, paving the way for a faster Israeli withdrawal, a definitive end to the war, the launch of reconstruction efforts, and the return of displaced residents to their villages.
The campaign targeting the framework agreement lacks any constitutional basis given that it is a decision made by the Lebanese State, represented by the executive authority, following a negotiating process conducted with the knowledge and participation of all parties represented in the government.
The political forces now opposing the agreement remain members of the very government that approved it and secured parliament's confidence on the basis of its ministerial policy statement. The Bureau considers that the framework agreement is fully aligned with both President Aoun's inaugural speech and the government's policy statement, particularly with regard to restoring the State's sovereign decision-making authority and ensuring that all weapons, along with decisions on war and peace, remain exclusively under State control.
The continued attacks on the framework agreement amount to little more than political posturing aimed at a domestic audience and displays of foreign allegiance. The agreement's opponents have failed to offer any credible alternative beyond more conflict and suffering. Instead, they should rally behind the Lebanese State, which, through its constitutional legitimacy and partnerships with international allies, is the only institution capable of protecting all Lebanese.They should support the State's decisions rather than seek to undermine them or incite opposition against them.
