Beirut debates right to armed resistance

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Debates over the right to maintain arms to deter the Israeli threat are creating obstacles to the drafting of a national policy statement in Beirut.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri handed in his list of Cabinet ministers to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman on Nov. 9, ending months of political wrangling over a unity government.

Hariri and his supporters are debating a series of national issues to include in a policy statement describing the platform of the new government. Debates over the right to resist Israeli threats and the occupation of Lebanese territory are creating obstacles to the policy statement, Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper reports.

"Discussions concerning the defense strategy should not be taken lightly since it is a big project on its own," the prime minister said.

Members of the Lebanese armed forces and political parties allied with Hariri's March 14 coalition say the state should be the ultimate authority on force, while opposition groups, including Hezbollah, maintain their right to armed resistance.

Hezbollah, which boasted modest gains in the new government, is obligated to disarm under the terms of a 2006 U.N.-brokered truce with Israel. Israeli, meanwhile, has faced a backlash from the United Nations and Beirut for repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty.

Both sides are accused of violating border agreements.