The “Sovereign Front” from the Grand Serail: Support for the State’s Course, Backing for Negotiations, and Emphasis on Restricting Arms to Legitimate Authority

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a delegation from the “Sovereign Front” that included MPs Ashraf Rifi and Camille Chamoun, former minister Richard Kouyoumjian, former MP Eddy Abi Lamaa, Change Party leader Elie Mahfoud, Lebanese Forces executive committee member Joseph Jbeily, and Camille Joseph Chamoun, Lina Jelkh, Bassam Agha, and Yousra Al-Tneir.

After the meeting, MP Rifi read out the following statement on behalf of the delegation:

In light of the delicate circumstances Lebanon is going through, and following two meetings — the first with the Grand Mufti of the Republic and the second with the Prime Minister — the Sovereign Front renews its firm commitment to the choice of the state and its categorical rejection of all forms of departure from legitimacy. There will be no more gray compromises, nor any overlooking of violations that threaten the Lebanese entity as a whole.

First, the Front affirms its full and resolute support for Lebanese legitimacy and its constitutional institutions, as the sole authority empowered to manage the country’s affairs and take fateful decisions.

With the revival of a state of sovereignty and law, the era of Hezbollah’s unilateral control — tied to Iran — over decisions of war and peace, and of dragging Lebanon into destructive confrontations, comes to an end. This constitutes a blatant violation of the constitution and a blow to the principle of national partnership.

Second, it declares its explicit support for the efforts and steps being undertaken by both the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister to restore the standing of the state and its institutions and put an end to the state of disorder and division.

Accordingly, the Front supports the position of the President and the Prime Minister in initiating direct negotiations with Israel as a fundamental entry point to imposing state sovereignty over all its territory, in a way that contributes to ending the Israeli occupation, pushes toward the return of the displaced to their villages, and begins the reconstruction of damaged villages and homes, thereby restoring a dignified life to the residents of the affected areas.

Third, it declares its full support for the Prime Minister in the face of the pressures and threats he is being subjected to, and considers that silence over such practices amounts to unacceptable complicity, and that protecting the office of the premiership is an integral part of protecting the constitutional order.

Fourth, based on the decisions of the Lebanese Council of Ministers, the Front affirms that Hezbollah’s weapons are considered prohibited arms outside the framework of the state, and that any departure from these decisions constitutes an explicit violation of the law that warrants prosecution.

Fifth, the Front clearly and explicitly calls for the judiciary to be set in motion immediately and for the necessary legal measures to be taken against anyone who violates the decisions of legitimacy or participates in providing cover for illegal weapons, without hesitation or exception, in order to preserve what remains of the state’s authority.