Beirut – President Michel Suleiman addressed the nation on the eve of Lebanon’s 66th anniversary of independence saying: “To encourage vast participation in political life, a national committee should be established and charged with abolishing political sectarianism.”
Suleiman also proposed “changing the electoral law relating to general elections in order to obtain better representation and restore to expatriates their rights, including nationality and the right to vote.”
Under the current sectarian system , the president is a Maronite Christian, the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim and the prime minister a Sunni Muslim. In addition all the parliament members and key government position are based on religious affiliation.
Addressing the issue of state institutions Suleiman said: “We need to build state institutions according to a political platform based on openness and the preservation of civil rights.” He added : “State institutions is what safeguards independence and preserves freedoms.”
Suleiman called for other reforms, including “an independent judicial power and greater administrative decentralization to empower the municipalities.”
Suleiman addressed the issue of corruption and the mounting state debt:
“We seek to fight corruption… and to stop the waste and reduce the national debt,” he said
Suleiman called for developing stronger relations with neighboring Arab states :
“We want to see the development of relations between Lebanon, Syria and the Arab states, not only on the governmental level, but also on the civil level to reach the perfect social cooperation,” he said
Suleiman also stressed the right of Lebanese to regain their occupied territories :
“Lebanon needs to preserve its right to liberate the Shebaa Farms, Kfar Shouba Hills, and the Lebanese part of Ghajar.” He said
The president stressed that Lebanon, through its recently acquired seat at the U.N. Security Council, will be able to seek peaceful and just solutions to the pending issues in the region, topped by the Palestinian cause and the “right of return” for the Palestinian refugees.
The president also called for the full implementation of the Taef Accord
In October 1989, the Lebanese National Assembly met in Taif, Saudi Arabia to ratify a “National Reconciliation Accord”. The accord was designed to end the Lebanese civil war that had been raging for decades.
Paragraph 1 of the accord called for “disbanding of the Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias and the transfer of weapons in their possession to the Lebanese government within six months of the rectification of the document of national reconciliation the election of a president the establishment of a national accord government and the constitutional ratification of the political reforms.”
All the militia were disbanded and their weapons handed over to the government with the exception of Hezbollah and the Palestinians that were loyal to Syria. This is because Lebanon at the time was under the Syrian tutelage and Syria was able to get away with pretty much whatever it liked in Lebanon.
Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April 2005 following the assassination of former PM Rafik Hariri , but Syria continues to exert political influence in the country through Hezbollah and its allies
i am lebanese from beirut.
i have the following suggestion divide the country into 3 parts
north, central, south. like iraq
sunni, christian shia in that order.
with an aiport, port, and commecial sector , central bank and borders between them.
after that happens we convince the people who are sunni, christain and shia to mrate to their respective areas with out a civil war
the religious ctors that do not fit in have to see where they most likely fit then move there without ethnic cleansng, like cosovo.
because civil war proved that it does not work.
then we would have peace, in teh federal republic of lebanon.
unil one group one day wakes up and decides if i canot have it all then no one can have it.
at that point syria, iran, or israel might move in to take all of the failed country experiment.
so my suggestion: lebanese people should start speaking more syrian, learn more iranian, and herbew just in case something happens.
if the fighting continues some the countries in the region and the all the coutries of the world will say we tried our best, we have military forces in the country a outside support from: syria, sudan, saudi, uae, malasyia, sweeden, italy, france, usa,germany, inda,egypt.
the best solution is the united federation of lebanon.
otherwise it willcontinue to best uncocked vegetable soup of a country, cooking at low tempearture for theose who can bare it.
Nader your comment makes me feel sick, I’m sorry but I totally disagree.
A secular Lebanon is the solution. Enough with this shattering.
NO FOR A POLITICIZED SECULARISM!!
RESIST THE POLITICAL OPPORTUNISTS WHO WANT TO CATCH THE TRAIN OF GLOBAL SECULARISM WHILE CONCEALING THEIR RELIGIOUS FANATICISM…
WE WANT SOCIETY-INDUCED, EDUCATED, GENUINE CHANGE THAT WOULD TOPPLE THE LEADERS OF THE CURRENT REGIME!!!!!
BEWARE THE WOLVES IN SHEEP CLOTHING!!
President Suleiman’s call to abolish sectarianisim is the only way forward. The whole world is advancing while our country is stuck in the middle ages. Wake up guys!!!.what’s the difference if we one is christian, muslim, or druze. At the end of the day we are first and foremost Lebanese with that unique mixture, ability and talent that makes us a special people where we can be winners in whatever we do. Its time to unite in our beautiful country that God has given to all of us.
WE WANT SOCIETY-INDUCED, EDUCATED, GENUINE CHANGE THAT WOULD TOPPLE THE LEADERS OF THE CURRENT REGIME!!!!!
you do not have enough money to pay them off or enough wepons to kill them off
and now we are at the third generation of jenamil, junblat, franjieh, karami, shamooun,
etc , etc, etc
People of Lebnan! Look into your hearts and see the stone in lieu of flesh that you have developed. It is so sad that such blessed people are so into themselves that can’t see beyond their plates. Religion is something private, carried in the heart and has no place in politics. Bear on your religions and live them as such. If all would live in and within their religions none would live different then the other. All religions teach the same only people change it as they want, need or find just. I love my country and people no matter what their religion is. We are all one just as we all pray to the same one God. Think of the future and the future of our children. Lets not have them make the same mistakes as our grand parents and parents in the name of religion. What a terrible mis-use of religion. Take and make all efforts to make our beautiful country bloom in it’s beauty.