Lebanon Celebrates 67th Anniversary of Independence

Local Editor

Lebanon celebrated its 67th anniversary of independence from France with a military parade in downtown Beirut.

President Michel Suleiman, accompanied by Defense Minister Elias Murr, inspected the 70-minute parade at Shafiq Wazzan Ave.

A 21-gun salute was fired at the start of the parade after which Suleiman placed a wreath on the Unknown Soldier Monument.

Suleiman's motorcade was greeted by a show of helicopters. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Saad Hariri were also present on the occasion.

Dozens of soldiers and officers from the navy and marines participated in the parade

On the eve of the Independence day, President Suleiman delivered a televised speech underlining the need to put forward a defense strategy that would give the Lebanese army the right to defend sovereignty.

Suleiman also said he was committed to equality and to solving problems through dialogue. "Achieving independence may sometimes seem incomplete each time it is exposed to foreign intervention," he believed.

Suleiman said Lebanon defended the issues of truth and justice and emerged as a country that embraces freedom of opinion and expression. "It is useful to commit to equally. We must adhere to the Taef agreement and to our cultural principles. "We must not allow discord to break out again. We have to resort to Constitutional institutions to resolve any dispute," Suleiman stressed.