Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun said on Monday that the FPM had succeeded in including all its demands in the draft ministerial statement, which was inked by a 10-member ministerial committee last week. Aoun told reporters after a weekly meeting of his Reform and Change parliamentary bloc that the ministers affiliated with his bloc would work according to a comprehensive plan in order to implement the FPM's demands.
The Reform and Change bloc has five ministers in Lebanon's national unity government.

Aoun defended his alliance with Hizbullah and called on March 14 leaders MPs Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt to subscribe to the memorandum of understanding which was signed by the retired general and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in February 2006.
"Both Hariri and Jumblatt are welcome to join the memorandum of understanding, which is also open for new suggestions," Aoun told reporters.
In defense of Hizbullah's possession of arms, Aoun asked who would defend Lebanon if the Lebanese state were reserved about "the resistance."
"The resistance can never be a violation of the state's sovereignty, but a foreign army is a clear violation of any nation's sovereignty," he said.

Aoun added that providing the Lebanese Armed Forces with sophisticated weapons was not possible as it would be too costly for the state.
"How much money would it cost us to make our army competent to fight Israel?" he asked, while emphasizing the importance of making use of Hizbullah's successful experience in confronting Israel.

"In case of any aggression, Lebanese citizens ought not to ask for permission to take up arms in the face of the aggressor," the retried general said.
Aoun also responded to recent remarks by Lebanese Forces (LF) leader Samir Geagea, who urged his LF comrades to start preparing for elections to refute Aoun's claim of representing 70 percent of the country's Christians.

"I feel comfortable when I hear Geagea's expectations because they always come true," Aoun said sarcastically.
The FPM leader's ally, Marada Movement chief Suleiman Franjieh said late on Sunday that Aoun and his allies would always secure 70 percent of Christian votes so long as Geagea was the leader of the the LF.