The embassies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Japan reaffirmed their support for the state arms monopoly in Lebanon on Thursday, November 5. They also call on parliamentarians and parties to make a clear public commitment to the state’s exclusive power to decide on war and peace.
In this joint statement entitled « Friends of Lebanon », the five representations support the Lebanese government’s efforts to restore its authority. The United States and British embassies circulated the text on their official accounts.
The State arms monopoly and the decision to war
The signatories associate arms control with military decisions. They call on all MPs and political parties to publicly support the positions expressed on this point by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
Their application concerns exclusive State jurisdiction. The five embassies also call for the full restoration of an effective Lebanese sovereign authority throughout the country.
Dahr al-Baydar: a procedure without political interference
The statement deals directly with the Dahr al-Baydar case. The signatories take note of the steps taken by the Lebanese authorities. They encourage prompt and independent judicial proceedings, free from political interference, which ensure that those responsible are fully accountable for their actions.
The text calls for the independence of the ongoing judicial process. It does not request the opening of a new investigation or the creation of an international inquiry. Nor does it rule on the guilt of the accused.
This position was taken on the day the first military investigating judge, Ghada Bou Alwan, issued two arrest warrants in the case of the shipment of explosives seized in Dahr al-Baydar. She interviewed Ali al-Kourdi and Haytham Amhaz, who were already detained, in the presence of their lawyer. These warrants are not a conviction.
The magistrate postponed the hearings of other accused persons who were not detained until 17 November. Their defence raised procedural exceptions. The military prosecutor must give his opinion before the judge decides on these objections.
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