Head of the Independence Movement says Lebanon should distance itself from regional conflicts.

Head of the Independence Movement Michel Moawad said Lebanon and its army were paying the price of the involvement of some Lebanese groups in the Syrian conflict following a suicide bombing that targeted an army checkpoint in the Baalbek region and claimed the lives of two officers and a civilian.

“On this painful occasion, I and on behalf of the Independence Movement pay my sincere condolences to the families of officer Elias Khoury, soldier Hamza al Feytrouni and citizen Mohammad Ayyoub and express my support for the army command,” Moawad said.

The terrorist attack represented, according to Moawad, an additional motive for the March 14 alliance to insist on the formulation of a national strategy to confront terrorism by addressing its causes rather than simply dealing with its consequences.

Moawad said such strategy should be based on the principles of the Baabda declaration and Bkirki’s National Charter, which call on Lebanon to adopt a policy of neutrality vis-à-vis regional conflicts.

The national strategy’s main priorities also include the confrontation of all forms of terrorism including suicide bombings and political assassination alike, Moawad added.

“The dangerous developments in Lebanon make it no longer acceptable to sacrifice the lives of Lebanese army officers and soldiers and to tamper with the security and stability of the Lebanese people in the interest of certain factions and their regional agendas,” Moawad said.

He added that all weapons should fall under the authority of the state’s official armed and security forces.

“Irrespective of their classification, the possession of illegitimate weapons would lead to instability,” Moawad warned.