Joumblatt: The PSP has handed over its weapons to the state

BEIRUT — Lebanese Druze leader and former head of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Walid Joumblatt revealed on Thursday that his party had handed its weapons over to the Lebanese Army about three weeks ago.

During a press conference, Joumblatt announced that he had informed President Joseph Aoun of the presence of weapons "in a certain place" in Moukhtara, the seat of the Druze community's ruling Joumblatt family, and "asked the relevant agencies to take care of it." He added, "The handover of weapons ended about three weeks ago."

Since the election of Aoun in December and his appointment of Nawaf Salam as prime minister in January, the Lebanese government has been working to assert a monopoly on arms, mostly focused on Hezbollah's arsenal, but also including commitments to disarm Palestinian refugee camps.

Joumblatt explained that his party's weapons were gradually accumulated at Moukhtara following the events of May 7, 2008 and tensions between Hezbollah and the PSP. Hezbollah militiamen and their allies had occupied parts of Beirut to protest calls to end the parallel telecom network that the party managed within the country.

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The former PSP leader assured he had worked to "assemble" the weapons, which he described as "light and medium," in a central location, before arranging for the army to collect the stockpile.

“A new chapter has opened in the Middle East,” Joumblatt said. “If there is any Lebanese or non-Lebanese party that still possesses weapons, I hope they will hand them over to the state properly. The most useful weapon for future generations is the weapon of memory.”

"We must not forget the heroism of our fathers and grandfathers against Israel and its agents," the politician and former militia commander added. "We must strengthen the army and the Internal Security Forces and focus on the fact that we still have an Israeli occupation and bulldozed and destroyed villages," he said.

In particular, Israeli troops continue to occupy of five points on Lebanese territory along the Blue Line, in direct violation of the cease-fire agreement signed with Hezbollah via the Lebanese government. "It is imperative to implement Resolution 1701," he added, referring to the U.N. Security Council resolution that serves as the basis for the cease-fire.

Joumblatt concluded his address by reiterating that "the [Israeli occupied] Shebaa Farms were and will remain Syrian and fall under U.N. Resolution 242."

The Druze leader's remarks come as the Israeli army has recently escalated its attacks against southern Lebanon following the cease-fire agreement reached between Israel and Iran and enforced by the U.S. on Tuesday.