An agreement reached among the country’s rival leaders last year to steer Lebanon clear of the region’s crises did not deal with the resistance’s arms but should have paved way for the discussion of the national defense strategy, said a Baabda Palace statement on Thursday.

The rival leaders from the March 8 and March 14 alliances affirmed on June 11, 2012 commitment to the Taef Accord and agreed to keep Lebanon away from the policy of regional and international conflicts to spare it the negative repercussions of the regional crises.

Their agreement became known as the Baabda Declaration, which Thursday’s presidential statement said was affirmed by three consecutive sessions. [Link]