Suleiman: Lebanon's Youth Should Not be Fuel for Politicians' Interests

President Michel Suleiman urged Lebanon's youth on Saturday not to be the fuel that meets the interests of rival party leaders, stressing the importance of commitment to the Baabda Declaration.

In remarks to runners in an annual marathon held on the occasion of Independence Day, Suleiman called for keeping the spirit of independence and avoiding dependency on other countries.

The youth should not be the fuel that serves the party leaders, he said, adding they should put the national interest above any other interest.

The president told the athletes, who ran from Rashaya Citadel to the presidential palace, that the Baabda Declaration supplements and consolidates the National Pact and the country's independence.

Rashaya's citadel holds historic significance, as it became a prison for leaders of the rebellion against the French Mandate.

After national and international pressure, the prisoners were released on November 22, 1943 and that day was declared the Lebanese Independence Day.

“We should abide by the Constitution,” Suleiman said.

Last year, the leaders from the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance and the opposition March 14 coalition agreed to distance Lebanon from the regional turmoil and affirmed commitment to the Taef Accord that ended the 1975-90 Civil War.

The agreement became known as the Baabda Declaration.

Suleiman's comments came amid continued criticism by the March 14 coalition of Hizbullah, which has sent its fighters to Syria to back President Bashar Assad's troops against the rebels seeking to topple him.

March 14 officials accuse Hizbullah of violating the Baabda Declaration.

On Saturday, Suleiman was handed the Lebanese flag, which carried the signatures of municipal chiefs and mayors of the towns that the athletes passed through to reach Baabda Palace.