Lebanon: Five Shiite Ministers Quit Gov’t Session on Arms Monopoly, Cabinet Welcomes LA Plan

By Staff, Agencies 

The four ministers from Amal and Hezbollah, along with a fifth independent minister, Fadi Makki, withdrew from the Lebanese government's session and later left the Baabda Presidential Palace, to protest the item of the session meant to discuss the army's plan for the state's exclusive authority over arms.

The ministers initially withdrew to an adjacent room after leaving the session, before departing the presidential palace entirely.

On Friday afternoon, the Lebanese Council of Ministers convened a session to discuss the plan the army had prepared for the state to exercise exclusive authority over weapons, with additional items on its agenda related to environmental, financial, and energy matters.

The cabinet on Friday welcomed the Lebanese Army's weapons monopolization plan and decided to keep its details confidential while asking the army to submit monthly reports on its implementation, Information Minister Paul Morcos said after a key session that witnessed a walkout by all five Shiite ministers.

“The army will begin implementing the plan according to its available and limited capabilities,” Morcos added.

“The army has the right to evaluate its plan according to the operational situation and that might require extra time,” the minister said.

“Any progress toward implementing the US paper hinges on ‘Israel’s’ steps,” he went on to say.

Lebanon's Minister of Labor, Mohammad Haidar, stated that his withdrawal from the government session, along with other ministers, was in protest of the discussion of the item concerning the army's set plan, which is linked to previous decisions regarding the exclusive right of the state to bear arms.

Haidar confirmed in a statement that his move was consistent with his long-held positions and was not intended as a criticism of the military institution. He clarified that they had withdrawn from the session but not from the government and that their final stance would be determined once the session concluded and its decisions were officially announced.

He added that the topic of resigning from the government was not currently under consideration, clarifying that his withdrawal was not a protest against the content of the army plan, which had not yet been presented, but rather was an objection to the principle of holding the discussion itself.

For his part, Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Amin Sherri announced that Hezbollah remains part of the government up to this moment and that what transpired was a boycott of the session. He further questioned whether the Lebanese foreign minister was aware that martyrs are falling every day, arguing that his positions reflect both a geographical and national disconnect.

Sherri went on to say that it is unfortunate that some ministers or political factions in the country are, in his view, providing justifications for "Israel", stressing that this is completely unacceptable under the current circumstances. 

The MP also revealed that an understanding had been reached with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to attend the government session since it would be discussing several items, with the agreement that the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc's representatives would withdraw once the discussion of the army plan began.

Sherri also pointed out that the American pressure is one-sided and that it is the Americans who are drawing up the Israeli plan for both Lebanon and Syria. He added that while the Lebanese Army leadership under General Joseph Aoun is keen on maintaining civil peace, he and his bloc are equally committed to civil peace but believe the government of Nawaf Salam must correct its course.