Hariri: Baabda Declaration defends Lebanon’s independence

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed Friday that President Michel Sleiman’s speech delivered on Thursday on the occasion of the independence, reached he most prestigious levels of political rhetoric amid the current critical situation in Lebanon and the unprecedented changes taking place across the Arab world.

In a statement issued on the 70th anniversary of Lebanon's independence, Hariri said that the country stands at a decisive crossroads while it has been burdened with the repercussions of some parties’ intervention in the Syrian war, as the sectarian and confessional tensions increased to their peak.

“Concerns regarding political void are prevailing over the political system and the constitutional institutions, while weapons have become spread illegally among partisans in an unparalleled way,” Hariri continued.

In this context, Hariri added that Sleiman’s speech expresses the aim of the Baabda Declaration that "represents the last defense line to protect Lebanon’s independence and the coexistence."