Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Geagea confirmed that "Lebanon is going through a pivotal stage, and we may witness an escalation of security conditions that come with costs borne by citizens due to decisions made outside our borders with no role for Lebanese or the government in them." He emphasized that the region "will not know peace until a just solution to the Palestinian cause is found, embodied in a two-state solution according to the resolutions of the Arab summit held in Beirut in 2002."
Geagea's remarks came during the annual organizational retreat held by the Aley region in Maarab, attended by MP Nazih Metni, former MP Anis Nasar, Secretary-General Emil Makrzel, Assistant Secretary-General for Regional Affairs George Eid, Coordinator of Aley Tony Badr, Mayor of Rweisat al-Nu’man Rola Khoury, Head of Aley’s Mukhtar Association Ziad al-Asfar, former Aley Coordinators Said Charutoni and Pierre Nasar, Head of the Legal Professions Department Albert Yamin, Head of the Agricultural Bureau in the party Eli Zakour, Central Council Member Ziad al-Bajani, and others.
Geagea expressed regret that "Lebanon today is on the margins of the solutions or settlements being discussed in declared or secret meetings, considering that the resistance that has controlled the country for years, and still does to this day, has ended the manifestation of a sovereign state and destroyed institutions for the benefit of the statelet, alongside a government currently unable to make any impactful and effective decisions amidst increasing fears among citizens of a collapse of conditions, transforming Lebanon into a stage for exchanging political and security messages regionally and internationally."
He pointed out that "the parties of the resistance are the root of the problems, having destroyed all the pillars of resilience that Lebanon enjoyed, disrupted presidential elections, and seek to empty all institutions by obstructing appointments, ultimately dragging the country into war without securing even the most basic requirements for confrontation. Meanwhile, we see the incapacity of the Lebanese citizen to endure, especially since, at present, far from war, they are suffering on all fronts, urgently needing assistance to secure medicine, healthcare, bread, fuel, electricity, water, and other essential daily life needs."
In this context, Geagea questioned, "If one piece of glass is broken in the south, who will repair it? And who will compensate the people amidst the financial and economic crises that the 'resistance' team has thrown us into for over four years?"
The retreat, which aims to lay out an action plan for 2024 and a future vision for enhancing party activities and activating the political role while coordinating tasks and operations among administrative offices and their heads, began with a welcoming address from the area’s activities officer, Perla Sleibi. The first workshop followed with the head of the Planning and Strategy Office in the party, Jan Khashan, who lectured on "The Foundations and Principles of Strategic Planning and the Need for Good Planning Without Impromptu Actions to Achieve Desired Results."
For his part, Badr explained the roadmap and work strategy for 2024, including a schedule of planned activities and outlined the most significant accomplishments and activities completed this year through the efforts of party officials and their aides in all villages and towns. He concluded his speech by raising recommendations regarding the roles of center heads and ways to enhance their functions.
In the second workshop, Michel Dakash, representing the Political Education Department, spoke about "Leadership Values and Principles." Meanwhile, expert in social media Sara Asaf focused her intervention in the third workshop on "The New Communication Plan in the Party and Ways to Activate the Organized and Purposeful LF Presence on All Social Media Platforms." Eid emphasized in his lecture the "Role of Political Center Heads and their Need to Interact with their Communities on Various Occasions and Conditions."
Makrzel confirmed that "the LF spirit distinguishes our party, through which we can face conditions and serve the community's aspirations that has placed all its hopes on us, given our steadfastness beside the causes of justice and our readiness to sacrifice for our country and the dignity of its citizens."
Metni addressed his recent tour in the United States, "where I felt a great interaction from expatriates with the LF and its officials, and the desire among Lebanese to help their country regain its role and active presence, especially after the dark clouds and tragedies left by the failed and destructive era of the resistance."
The retreat concluded with the raising of recommendations across all areas of party and administrative work and establishing a clear and detailed mechanism for following up on the execution of decisions.
