NNA - Kataeb Party on Monday refused rendering Lebanon a bargaining chip in the service of foreign interests and warned the nation's top officials from wagering on a delay of the 2013 legislative elections.



Kataeb Political bureau held its weekly meeting today presided by Vice President, Shaker Aoun. Conferees seized the occasion to express well-wishes for Lebanon's 69th Independence Day and Kataeb Party's establishment anniversary.



"We refuse to have Lebanon used as a regional mailbox," Kataeb said in a statement issued in the wake of the meeting, to also deprecate attempts at submerging Lebanon in Gaza or other regional conflicts.



Albeit, Kataeb reminded that elections ought to be held as scheduled, refusing any sort of delay.



"These deadlines are constitutional par excellence," the statement read, expressing rejection of any excuse to have them breached.



Moreover, conferees saw in attempts at launching missiles towards Israel -- from a zone controlled by UNIFIL and Lebanese Army -- as well as Hezbollah's Ayoub mission, an outright proof that the Lebanese external scene was fully exposed.



"Challenging the state, army, and UNIFIL has become so evident," the statement added.



Expressing support to the peoples of Gaza and Syria, Kataeb also reminded of the towering number of Syrian refugees that have entered Lebanon thus far, reaching almost 127 thousand.



"The real figures might be much higher," the statement said, rebuking the absence of an appropriate plan to handle their needs, especially during the winter season.


===============R.H.