Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri congratulated the Lebanese people on the occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day, which falls on Friday, and reiterated his call for dialogue in Lebanon in order to prevent strife.

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri congratulated the Lebanese people on the occasion of Resistance and Liberation Day, which falls on Friday, and reiterated his call for dialogue in Lebanon in order to prevent strife.

“This day should also serve as an opportunity to support the army and provide it with arms in order to allow it to properly preserve sovereignty and security,” he said in a statement issued Wednesday.

“This strategy will serve as a resistance alongside the army in confronting Israeli aggression.”

“All arms, other than the army’s, should be part of the national-defense strategy. In this occasion, we also hope everyone stops the campaign targeting the Resistance’s arms because we are all in the position of resisting and protecting our sovereignty which Israel violates.”

“On this occasion, we would like all sides to halt their campaigns against the resistance because we are all in a position of resistance and responsibility in defending our country,” remarked Berri.

Furthermore, he said that this occasion must act as an opportunity for the Lebanese maritime border to be demarcated in order to allow the country to exploit its offshore oil and gas wealth.

Moreover, he noted that the Resistance and Liberation day this year came at a time of great tensions “aimed at dragging Lebanon’s towards strife and spreading the regional unrest to the country.”

“This worrisome reality requires all powers to assume their responsibilities towards maintaining civil peace and preventing the violation of red lines that may lead Lebanon to chaos,” stressed the speaker.

“On this occasion, we confirm that the policy of dissociating the country from regional events was and still is in the interest of the Lebanese people. We also call for national dialogue… to achieve national consensus… and keep away the ghost of strife,” he continued.

“Lebanon should serve as a source of strength for its Arab brothers,” he stated.

The speaker also said that amid current regional developments, Syria needed Lebanon’s solidarity.

“Syria needs us to voice solidarity and unite to help it cross over to stability and to a political process based on building its civil peace without interferences,” he said.

“Lebanon must pave way for Syria’s peace, [and] the Syrian [crisis] should not pave way for chaos and strife in Lebanon.”

Lebanon celebrates the Resistance and Liberation Day each year on May 25, marking the withdrawal of the Zionist occupaion army from most of southern Lebanon villages in 2000.