Mourani to "It's About Time": Even the Weakest State Is More Beneficial to the Lebanese than the Strongest Militia

Camille Mourani, the head of political relations in the National Bloc, emphasized that "even the weakest state is better and more beneficial for the Lebanese than the strongest militia." He pointed out that following the opposition's initiative, it became clear that "Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri and Hezbollah are the ones rejecting dialogue."

In an interview on MTV’s "It's About Time" program, Mourani stated: "Unfortunately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech in Congress proved that the Israelis have nothing but a security-based solution to deal with Gaza and the West Bank. This approach is exactly what led to the 'Al-Aqsa Flood.' He had the opportunity to propose a political solution or comment on the ceasefire agreement, but chose not to."

He added: "The National Bloc has always been a clear supporter of the Palestinian cause, but not at the expense of Lebanon and its sovereignty. This is why our historical stance has been against the Cairo Agreement. We approach politics not to serve the interests of any other state, as others do, nor to harm the interests of any enemy state, but solely to serve the interests of the Lebanese state and its people. This is the only compass guiding our national action."

Mourani noted that Iran took 11 days to carefully respond to Israel's bombing of its consulate in Damascus, aiming to save face while protecting its strategic interests. In contrast, the southern front in Lebanon was opened just 24 hours after the start of the "October 7th" operation, without any regard for the country's interests or any consideration for the Lebanese people being drawn into this conflict.

He reminded that when the Lebanese state, with its agencies, institutions, and diplomacy, was solely responsible for the southern borders before the Cairo Agreement, the number of attacks was 90% lower than it is now. He added: "The 1949 armistice agreement provided for security arrangements on both sides of the border. However, after claiming a “divine victory” in 2006, the arrangements only applied to Lebanon's side. This proves that even the weakest state is better and more beneficial for the Lebanese than the strongest militia."

Mourani pointed out that after the Doha Agreement, "Hezbollah" and Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri practically became the state, controlling its institutions from the Parliament to the government and the Central Bank. Today, they seek the presidency and ask, 'Where is the state?' He continued: "We had demanded the deployment of the army to the south after the liberation in 2000 so that the state could fulfill its responsibilities to the citizens there, but it was the resistance bloc that opposed and prevented this from happening."

Mourani argued that boasting about victories due to the displacement of northern Israel's residents is very provocative because it overlooks the displacement of southern Lebanese residents and the destruction of their villages, treating these events as minor details. The interests of the Lebanese, especially those in the south, are not part of Hezbollah's calculations of profit and loss.

He asked: "Is Prime Minister Mikati the Prime Minister or merely the Mayor of Lebanon? The state is not an NGO, where its role is limited to developing relief plans to address the consequences of wars in which it did not have a say." He added: "Based on which scientific criteria did Hezbollah's Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah decide that Syria could not withstand opening the Golan front, but Lebanon could handle opening the southern front? It would have been better to show the same concern for Lebanon and the Lebanese people’s interests as they do for Syria's interests and regime," warning that Iran’s influence in the region has only led to destruction.

Regarding the obstruction of the presidential election, Mourani said: "It became evident after the opposition's initiative that Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah are the ones refusing dialogue. We have a constitution and constitutional mechanisms according to the social contract that governs the relationship between citizens, and it must be respected."

He added: "Anyone who thinks that boycotting presidential election sessions for two years is their right should face the public and take responsibility for paralyzing the country and its people's interests for two years simply because it's 'their right,' rather than blaming others." He continued: "I don't understand how Minister Sleiman Frangieh is fine with paralyzing the country for two years to become president. In 1970, if President Frangieh's opponents had acted like his grandson and his allies are acting now, disrupting the quorum, he would not have been elected president back then, and Minister Frangieh likely wouldn't even be a candidate today."

Regarding the quorum for the presidential election session, Mourani clarified that Speaker Nabih Berri ruled the quorum to be two-thirds, a decision politically backed even by the church. Some have told Christians that if the quorum were half plus one, Muslim MPs, along with one Christian MP, could impose a president on the Christians. He continued: "If we return to a half-plus-one quorum today, we will elect a president quickly. Speaker Nabih Berri himself was elected with 65 votes, and he is currently serving as Speaker of the Parliament."

In response to a question, Mourani said: "The state has neglected the south and the entire country. My respect goes out to everyone who suffers from killing, attacks, and displacement along the borders today." He added: "When the state weakened after the Cairo Agreement, it practically abandoned the south in particular, as well as all Lebanese regions. For example, when the Syrian army committed massacres in Bab al-Tabbaneh, the state did not protect us in Tripoli."

Mourani concluded by highlighting a major project in the region called "Vision 2030," focused on human, economic, and social development, which Lebanon should be part of. When oil was discovered in the Arab world, Amid Raymond Edde proposed the banking secrecy law in 1956 to help Lebanon benefit from this financial boom and secure a place among Arab countries. Today, do we have anyone in this state thinking about how to bring Lebanon back onto the map of regional interests and connect us to this project, especially since Arab countries are now neutral and maintain excellent relations with all international and regional powers, from the United States to Russia, China, India, Pakistan, and even Iran and Syria?"