Head of the Independence Movement urges Christians to rally behind Bkirki National Charter.

 Head of the Independence Movement Michel Moawad said Bkirki’s National Charter reminded the Lebanese of the same principles voiced by Maronite bishops in September 2000 when they called for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon.

Moawad added that Bkirki’s Charter, which called on Lebanon to distance itself from regional conflicts by adopting a policy of neutrality, reiterated values that were historically upheld by Lebanese Christians.

“Those values are: freedom, national coexistence, diversity, sovereignty, rotation in power and the exclusive right of legitimate institutions to control weapons as well as Lebanon’s commitment to international resolutions,” Moawad said.

Such values protect the Christians’ role under the current chaotic regional developments, Moawad said, urging all factions to rally behind the Maronite Church’s National Charter and the Baabda Declaration.

“I call on our Muslim partners to follow in Future Movement leader Saad Hariri’s footsteps by expressing their clear commitment to Bkirki’s Charter and the Baabda Declaration,” Moawad said.

“Accordingly, Hezbollah should withdraw its forces from Syria, hand over its weapons to legitimate authorities and embrace Lebanon’s constitutional institutions as the only insurance for all Lebanese,” Moawad said.