The Arab League on Wednesday backed the right of the Lebanese to “resist” any Israeli attack and called on all countries in the world to offer support to the Lebanese army.
The Arab Summit “welcomes the election of General Michel Aoun as president of the Lebanese republic as a decisive step that guarantees Lebanon’s ability to confront the pressing political, security, economic and social challenges,” said a paper issued by the League and titled “Solidarity with Lebanon”.
It also welcomed the content of Aoun’s presidential oath of office in terms of “adherence to the Lebanese people’s unity and civil peace, which would keep it safe from the blazes raging around it in the region.”
The League also lauded Aoun’s call for “respecting the Arab League charter, especially Article 8,” and his announcement that “Lebanon will endorse an independent foreign policy based on Lebanon’s higher interest and respect for international law.”
Turning to Lebanon’s conflict with Israel, the League stressed “the right of the Lebanese to liberate or retrieve the Shebaa Farms, the Lebanese Kfarshouba Hills and the Lebanese side of the Ghajar village, and their right to resist any attack through the legitimate means.”
The League also stressed the importance to “differentiate between terrorism and legitimate resistance against the Israeli occupation, which is a right acknowledged by the international charters and the principles of the international law.”
“The act of resistance should not be considered a terrorist act,” the League’s Solidarity with Lebanon paper said.
The League “backs Lebanon stance in asking the international community to implement U.N. Security Council 1701, which is based on the resolutions 425 and 426, through putting an end once and for all to Israel’s violations and threats to its civilian facilities and infrastructure,” the paper adds.
The League also welcomed the aid that has been offered by some countries to Lebanon, “topped by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” urging all countries to “enhance the capabilities of the Lebanese army and enable it to perform its missions, seeing as it is the pillar of security, stability and civil peace in Lebanon.”
