The Lebanese Phalange Party called on the government to expedite the confinement of weapons and security and military decisions solely to the state, considering that keeping weapons outside legitimate institutions hinders the extension of state authority and doubles the political and economic burdens on the Lebanese.
In a statement issued after its regular meeting headed by MP Sami Gemayel, the party’s political bureau stressed that “the time of stagnation in the issue of weapons outside the country has ended,” holding it responsible for dragging Lebanon into a spiral of wars and destruction, and providing pretexts for Israel to continue its military operations and expand their scope. The party called on the government to begin implementing its decisions without delay, and to enable the army and legitimate security forces to extend their sovereignty over the entire Lebanese territory.
On the economic issue, the Phalange Party linked the arms crisis to the financial collapse, refusing to burden citizens with additional tax burdens in light of the existence of a “parallel economy” based on smuggling and tax evasion that drains the resources of the public treasury. He stressed that the state of instability and repeated wars dealt severe blows to investment and the tourism sector, and eliminated the desired chances of recovery.
The Political Bureau also warned of the consequences of exploiting social movements to undermine what it described as the “sovereign path” in which the government was engaged, stressing at the same time the legitimacy of social demands. However, treating the root crisis requires, according to the statement, addressing its political, security, and economic causes.
On the financial and monetary level, the party announced its full support for the government delegation negotiating with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, calling for the conclusion of a rapid agreement with the IMF, and the completion and approval of reform legislation and its strict implementation, in preparation for attracting Arab and international support and protecting the rights of depositors.
This escalation in the Phalange Party’s position comes to reinforce the ongoing division over the issue of restricting weapons to the state, in parallel with the ongoing efforts to implement the structural reforms necessary to extricate the country from its deep financial and economic crisis.
