14 November 2005

ADMA: The Phalange Party finalized its reunification on Sunday, with Amin Gemayel elected as the party's new leader and former party President Karim Pakradouni apologizing for "all past faults."

Held under the theme of "Unification and Renewal," the 26th annual meeting of the Phalange Party was held over the weekend at the Regency Palace Hotel in Adma.

The conference also decided to cancel the term of the party's sitting Transitional Follow-up Committee's term on December 10, 2005, instead of May 1, 2006, to allow the new leadership to "start being fully operational."

The Transitional Follow-up Committee currently supervises the party's political activities and encompasses Gemayel, Karim Pakradouni, first vice president Rashad Salameh and secretary general Ibrahim Risha; in addition to the party's sitting MP's Solange Gemayel, Antoine Sukkar, Pierre Gemayel; and the party's former secretary generals Joseph Abou Khalil and Charles Dahdah.

Pakradouni was also elected head of a new political bureau.

The Phalange split following Pakradouni's election as party leader in 2000, after which Gemayel formed his own reformist Phalange Party.

"This meeting represents the party's return to political life," Gemayel said. "I am more than confident that the Phalange Party will be on the front line in defending Lebanon's freedom, sovereignty and independence."

Gemayel stressed that the party's past mistakes "should all be put aside in order for

us to advance and prosper.

Our hands are open to everyone, as we enter our 70th year of existence."

Amid uninterrupted applause, the former leader of the Phalange Party openly

apologized for all "mistakes" intentionally or unintentionally committed over the past

20 years.

"For all those faults that we all committed, whether intentionally or unintentionally, I apologize," Pakradouni said.

The "mistakes" referred to are understood to be a reference to the Phalange Party's cooperation with Syrian forces during the Lebanese Civil War.

"We have lost more than 20 years of our lives in useless fights, instead of moving forward," he added.

"I apologize for keeping people busy with our problems instead of keeping ourselves busy with other people's problems," he said.

The Phalange Party's membership swelled in 1949, when it was reported that a Syrian plot had been discovered to merge Lebanon with Syria. When Syrian intervened in the Lebanese Civil War in 1976 to prevent a leftist-Palestinian victory, the Phalange cooperated with them. However, in 1982, when some Phalangists realized that Syria had different aims to theirs they turned to Israel as an ally. They were later trained and armed by the Israelis. The LF and Phalange Party completely split from one another in 1986.