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3. Meerab Gathering Draws 'Rescue Roadmap' to Salvage Lebanon

The Leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, chaired a national gathering of opposition forces at the party’s headquarters in Meerab under the title “In Defense of Lebanon” to propose a “rescue roadmap” after the war “that Lebanon was dragged into reached a catastrophic level, amidst the suffering of the Lebanese from death, displacement, destruction and collapse.”

Speaking at the end of the gathering on Saturday, Geagea said, “It has become clear to us, as well as to the majority of Lebanese, that Lebanon today is like a sinking ship, with no captain at its helm,” hence the need for “a national stance to stop the tragedies of the Lebanese.”

“In light of the killing, displacement and destruction that the Lebanese people are suffering, there must be a national stance today to stop the tragedies of the Lebanese and reverse the cumulative conditions that led to them. The Lebanese people, of all different sects and confessions, deserve to live a dignified and safe life without the constant threat of war looming over them,” Geagea added.

The LF chief stressed that at this stage, “the state must be restored” after it has been disintegrated “due to (Hezbollah’s) hegemony, weapons, corruption and the control of external forces over the decision of war in Lebanon and their direct interference, through direct management of military actions in which part of the Lebanese people were either used as combat tools or as human shields.”

Geagea then spelled out the main points of the proposed rescue roadmap:

- Electing a president who upholds the constitution and respects the law and who is committed to implementing UN Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701, as well as the provisions of the Taif Agreement.

- Choosing a president who ensures that strategic decisions are made solely by the state, empowering the Lebanese Army with all necessary authorities, and selecting a president known for his integrity and patriotism.

- Conducting binding parliamentary consultations and electing a prime minister to form a government.

Geagea stressed that the proposed roadmap is “necessary to define a path to stop the bleeding and suffering and the urgent need to first reach a ceasefire that puts an end to the catastrophe our people are going through.”

Geagea also mentioned that the international and Arab communities are lacking trust in the current ruling system, “which is lurking around the state and doing nothing to help Lebanon through numerous initiatives.”

Stressing the need for an approach that offers sustainable solutions, he added, “Accumulating half-solutions will not lead to anything other than what we have already seen, and experience has proven that there can be no stability without building a state.”

In conclusion, Geagea denounced Israel’s aggressive policy towards Lebanon, which he said “appears today in its most horrific manifestations” and “requires us not to wait under any circumstances until the last Lebanese are displaced or killed.”