BEIRUT: Former Lebanese prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora, and Tammam Salam announced during their meeting on Saturday with former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt at his home in Beirut their support for the steps and positions taken by the Syrian state to “heal the national rift in Syria,” against the backdrop of violent events in Sweida between the Druze and the Bedouin.
The Sunni former prime ministers emphasized “the need to prioritize dialogue, openness, and tolerance among our Syrian brothers in order to nip sedition in the bud, and to do everything possible to strengthen internal national unity among all Syrian citizens on the basis of citizenship and justice for all.”
The attendees praised Jumblatt’s stance on the ongoing events and denounced “Israel’s interference and aggression against Syria,” stressing that “this interference in Syria’s internal affairs is unacceptable and condemned. It aims to fragment and divide the Syrian people, and to incite and turn certain forces and parties against each other, under the pretext of protecting our true Arab Druze brothers from the Bani Ma’rouf in Jabal Al-Arab, who believe that what Israel is doing is the implementation of a malicious, exposed, and unacceptable plan to perpetuate its occupation of the Syrian Golan.”
The statement issued by the attendees called for “the need to initiate an immediate ceasefire and affirm full commitment by all parties to it, to free the kidnapped, lift the siege, and restore public services.” They also called for “efforts to establish communication, understanding, and tolerance among all Syrian citizens to prevent strife and stop the bloodshed. This should then lead to constructive dialogue among them, based on the unity of the Syrian identity, the principles of citizenship, the unity of the Syrian homeland, the sovereignty of a single, capable, and just state, and the integrity of all Syrian territory.”
The attendees stressed “the necessity of an impartial investigation committee to hold accountable those who instigated the sedition and those who carried out and perpetrated the killings and attacks against peaceful civilians, regardless of their affiliation.”
Lebanese Army Commander General Rodolphe Heikal visited the Sheikh of the Druze community, Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Muna. (Supplied)
They also denounced “attempts to exploit the dangerous events in Syria to spread tension and sedition to Lebanon,” affirming that the Lebanese army and state security agencies will stand guard against these malicious and despicable attempts.
Lebanese army commander Gen. Rodolphe Heikal visited the sheikh of the Druze community, Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Muna, on Saturday evening, accompanied by Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Hassan Odeh. Discussions focused on “ways to contain the repercussions of the events in Syria on the Lebanese scene and preserve internal security stability,” according to a statement issued by the attendees.
Abi Al-Muna called on everyone in Sweida “to unite under the umbrella of the state.” He said: “However, this places the responsibility on the Syrian state to reassure its people and instill confidence among the people, so that citizens will surrender their weapons and commands to it. This is a difficult task, but not impossible, and Arab and Turkish sponsorship is essential.”
Arab tribes in Lebanon have also taken action to prevent any repercussions from the events in Sweida. A delegation from the Arab Zreikat tribes visited Sheikh Abi Al-Muna and affirmed their “solidarity with the Druze community and their condemnation of the painful events in Sweida Governorate.”
Sheikh Abi Al-Muna described what is happening in Jabal Al-Arab as “something alien to our customs and traditions, and we are trying to calm our youth so that things do not slide into an absurd confrontation in Lebanon and undermine coexistence.”
Sheikh Kamel Al-Daher, on behalf of the tribal delegation, underlined the need to “quell the strife in the face of those who throw words and money at it, and for the Syrian state, headed by Sharaa, to stop the bloodshed, address the issue, and establish reconciliation, as is our tradition.”
Representatives of the Progressive Socialist Party, the largest party under which most of Lebanon’s Druze are united, met this morning with representatives of the Arab tribes in the Bekaa and agreed that “Lebanon should not be a crossing point for any tensions.”
