On the 16th anniversary of the withdrawal of the Syrian army from Lebanon in the wake of the Cedar Revolution, political parties and groups, who took part in it, no longer agree on anything but its slogans.
The revolution has turned into a popular uprising against all political authorities, including the so-called March 14 forces, especially with the deterioration of the social and economic situation.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Antoine Haddad, academic and former vice president of the Democratic Renewal Movement, said: “The moment of March 14th is historic and unique, unprecedented in the history of Lebanon. It is only comparable to the October 2019 uprising, in terms of size, diversity, and popular support.”
But he noted that the “sectarian parties”, which participated 16 years ago in the Cedar revolution, have committed the mistake of neglecting vital issues.
While the March 14 Forces have neglected the people’s demands for reform and fighting corruption, the forces active in the October 17 uprising are today ignoring the “issue of sovereignty”, which is mainly represented by the weapons of Hezbollah and the Iranian hegemony over the state, Haddad underlined.
For his part, the head of the Future Movement, Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, described the March 14 as a “homeland project”, saying that Lebanon should not return to sectarian mobilization.
“The martyrdom of [former prime minister] Rafik Hariri and his companions created the March 14 movement, an exceptional uprising in the history of Lebanon, which opinion and political leaders consolidated with their blood and sacrifices. It opened the doors of exile and prison, lifted tutelage and broke the barriers of sectarian and regional loyalties to restore the values of national unity and coexistence,” Hariri said.
While the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, affirmed that the March 14 “continues… until the goal is achieved,” the president of the Kataeb Party, resigned MP Sami Gemayel talked about “that essential day in our struggle for sovereignty.”
“After 16 years, independence was achieved while accountability was absent and reforms were postponed…” Gemayel stated, adding: “We will not abandon our call for sovereignty and accountability. There is no value for the first without the second, and vice versa.”
