The Speaker of the House, Nabih Berri, praised the national and Arab responsibility demonstrated by the Arab tribes in warding off the strife that some attempted to provoke in Khalda. He pointed out that "it is a mistake for anyone to think that the meeting with the Arab tribes is a recent or emergency meeting between Sunnis and Shiites, or that any disagreement with the Arab tribes, should it occur, God forbid, is a dispute between Sunnis and Shiites; absolutely not. The meeting is the rule and disagreement is the exception, and it does not spoil the affection and brotherhood."
Berri spoke during his reception of a large delegation of Arab tribal leaders from various Lebanese regions, including the Arab tribes from Khalda, with the presence of MPs Mohammad Sleiman and Mohammad Khawaja. He highlighted that "the meeting and connection are always ongoing; it is a meeting of branch to branch, and a meeting of origin to origin, a meeting of the one body, which if one member suffers, all other members must respond with vigilance and care."
Berri concluded by saying, "Our commitment today in the Amal Movement with the Arab tribes is the same commitment we held when we stood shoulder to shoulder with one heart and one hand, resisting the Israeli invasion in 1982 in Khalda. Today, we are shoulder to shoulder with those of good intentions, and in coordination with His Eminence, the Lebanese Republic's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan, we will confront the strife among the children of one homeland."
The delegation presented Berri with an Arab tribal cloak as a token of loyalty and appreciation for his positions and efforts in uniting the nation, wishing him to intervene and exert efforts towards achieving reconciliation regarding the events in Khalda.
After the meeting, Sheikh Ali Al-Hussein stated, "His Excellency the President invited us to this house, and we responded today, and he promised us reform, and this is our demand: reconciliation, reconciliation, reconciliation. This is our demand in bold letters: forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness. We are all children of one country, and we have coexisted in mutual affection and love, and this is how we want to return. If God has cursed those who awaken strife, then God chooses those who strive to extinguish it, and his Excellency from the first day, as he spoke to us, along with his consultations with the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic Sheikh Abdul Latif Daryan and the concerned parties, have all sought to quell the strife and to bring about reform, and thus this house is known."
For his part, MP Mohammad Sleiman stated that they "sensed from his Excellency the President his concern for unity, for rejecting strife, and we felt all the attention from him regarding this matter, and concerning Khalda, may it become behind us, with the efforts of all those responsible for this country— from the Dar al-Fatwa, the army leadership, and his Excellency. God willing, matters will be set right among the brothers in this country."
