Jumblatt: Arms issue can be settled through dialogue

National Struggle Front leader MP Walid Jumblatt urged the Lebanese people on Monday to “deal calmly with the massive regional developments to avoid their repercussions on the domestic scene and the loss of hope, while taking into consideration the tragedy in Syria where the security option dominates all other political solutions, the latest being the Arab League initiative.”     

Jumblatt told al Anbaa newspaper that passing the STL funding item is of a high national interest, as “funding will help Lebanon avoid economic sanctions or internal tensions”.    

On the other hand, Jumblatt said that the solution for the weapons issue will not appear magically with the wave of a wand. It will also not appear through media tribunes or rhetoric duels, but only through a calm dialogue that completes discussions on the defense plan in a way that fortifies Lebanon against “the enemy” Israel and confirms the only defensive goal of these arms.   

Jumblatt urged political forces to rally around the security and military institutions, voicing hope that these institutions will remain the main fortress that preserves civil peace and the state of Lebanon.     

Jumblatt wondered about the reasons behind the hanging of the photos of security heads along checkpoints and roads, questioning the appropriateness of this practice given the importance of having the military institutions above political calculations and behaviors.