Lake of the Mountain Gathering Reaffirms Commitment to Lebanon’s Coexistence Model

The Lake of the Mountain Gathering held its weekly meeting electronically at its Ashrafieh headquarters, attended by Antoine Qassis, Antonia Al-Duwayhi, Elie Al-Hajj, Elie Kourillos, Bassam Khoury, Bahjat Salama, Pierre Aqil, Toufic Kassab, Jad Al-Khawwi, George Slouwan, George Al-Klais, Joseph Farah, Joseph Karam, Joseph Makhoul, Habib Khoury, Hassan Bazieh, Hassan Aboud, Khalil Toubia, Khaled Nsouli, Daniel Zakhour, Ralph Germanos, Raby Kabbara, Ramzi Bou Khalid, Zahi Mousalli, Sami Chamoun, Saad Kaywan, Sana Al-Jak, Tony Habib, Toubia Attallah, Omar Helblab, Gulshan Saglam, Ghassan Moghbaghbegh, Fadi Karam, Fares Saad, Fairouz Joudieh, Carol Papikian, Kamal Richa, Lina Farajallah, Majed Karam, Mahmoud Wahba, Mayad Haydar, Nadira Fawaz, Nabil Yazbek, Nawal Al-Maawashi, Nelly Qandil, Norma Raad, Hala Abu Nader Qassis, and Youssef Al-Khouri.

Following the session, participants released a statement reiterating their commitment to “the Constitution and the Taif Agreement,” noting this stance comes “at a moment when the role of the Arab League is receding rather than being reinforced, as Sunni and Shiite Islamic sectarian blocs emerge, and the concept of state finality is shaken due to the continued existence of Hezbollah’s weapons and fears over the Lebanese formula.”

The statement added that “the region’s current fluctuations and new alliances show no mercy toward fragmented entities and weak states,” concluding: “Nothing remains for us but to act decisively to uphold the Lebanese model grounded in coexistence and founded on the principles of sovereignty and the state’s exclusive monopoly on arms.”