Press release from the Lebanese Forces
January 19/2000
With the resurfacing of the issue of Political Sectarianism in Lebanon and the call for a Supreme National Committee to abolish sectarianism, the Lebanese Forces Party has the following to declare:
1.. The Lebanese Forces Party (LFP) finds shortsighted the Government's claim that the events Lebanon has witnessed in the recent years are due to political sectarianism. The LFP urges the government  not to ignore the fact that these events are the natural  repercussion of   foreign occupation, a logical conclusion to the prejudice and subordinate courses the government has taken in the past 10 years and the lack of National Reconciliation.
2.. The Lebanese Forces Party finds the timing for forming this Supreme National Committee to abolish sectarianism suspicious. The LFP considers this initiative by Prime Minister Salim al Hoss as nothing but an attempt to camouflage the escalating sectarian atmosphere avoiding the real reasons behind the recent developments in the country. The Prime Minister Hoss and the Speaker of the House Nabih Berri are taking the sole initiative in approaching this issue away from a national agreement or participation from various parties, which is a breach to the equilibrium our society is based on. Only a true National Reconciliation Government, capable of reflecting the wishes and aspiration of its people, is able to propose, debate and conclude on abolishing sectarianism.
3.. Political Sectarianism in Lebanon is a matter relating to the form of a government and not to the Political System and abolishing Political Sectarianism cannot be addressed in the debate for reforming the Political System. Furthermore, Sectarianism is the practical interpretation of coexistence and the grounds for building a proper management for the State's affairs ensuring equality and cooperation whereby no group is marginalized nor isolated from the Political Process.
4.. The best form of coexistence is to allow every group in Lebanon to practice and realize its historical and ideological aspirations without infringing on the rights of other groups. It makes no sense to ask people to abolish their beliefs in order to create a new form of a government.
5.. Those who are proposing to abolish Political Sectarianism today are the same people who called in the past for sectarian participation = and equilibrium and are the ones today who endorse it. Therefore, = ulterior motives hide behind this call of abolishment that may lead to a real sectarian domination following the numerical democracy principles.
6.. The Lebanese Forces Party sees that national unity is not achieved through abolishing sectarianism, producing a unified manual on history and civil education or any similar initiatives but through the use of  diversity to create an equitable system capable of benefiting from such diversity.
The Lebanese Forces Media Department North America Division http://www.lebanese-forces.org
===================================================================