Berri (L) and Siniora
Photo: AFP
Lebanese parliament head protests blockade
Nabih Berri, fellow parliament members launch protest against “naval and aerial blockade Israel is imposing on Lebanon’; calls on Arab ships, aircraft to violate blockade without Israel’s consent; ‘we are defending our homeland,’ he says
Chairman of the Lebanese
parliament Nabih Berri launched a protest in front of the parliamentary building in Beirut against “the naval and aerial blockade which Israel is imposing on Lebanon.”
Berri announced that he and 10 more members of parliament from various Lebanese political factions would sleep at the protest site.
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“This is not a show; we are defending our homeland,” he said, adding that the protest will continue until the blockade is lifted.
In a speech before parliament Saturday Berri called on Arab countries to work toward bringing an end to the Israeli blockade. According to Berri, Arab ships and aircraft must violate the blockade without Israel’s consent; he also suggested sending Lebanese parliament representatives to meet with the ambassadors of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and other foreign ambassadors whose countries maintain diplomatic relations with Israel and ask that they freeze relations as long as the blockade remains in effect.
'Illegal Israeli act of extortion'
At the beginning of his speech Berri asked parliament members to observe a moment of silence in memory “of all the Lebanese fallen.” At Berri’s request parliament members sent letters regarding the blockade to counterparts in other Arab countries. Similar letters were sent to parliament members in France, Russia, Britain, the United States and China.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora referred to the blockade as an “illegal Israeli act of extortion,” and told parliament members that it goes against the principles of UN Resolution 1701. According to Siniora, his government is working to expedite Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon and the Shebaa Farms, near the Syrian border.
