Project Watan Clings to Negotiations, Rejects Accusations of Treason, and Calls for Leveraging the American Shift

Project Watan’s Executive Board held its weekly meeting, chaired by MP Neemat Frem, with all members in attendance. The war and its repercussions on Lebanon, alongside the course of negotiations, formed the main focus of discussion.

After extensive deliberations, the following statement was issued:

• The participants discussed developments in positions on the negotiation track, and the accompanying campaigns of intimidation and unacceptable accusations of treason that have crossed all red lines.

In this context, the Executive Board stressed that negotiations are no longer one option among many, but have become the sole path to saving what can still be saved and protecting Lebanon. Based on this, it emphasized the need for national unity around the initiative of the President of the Republic, as the only practical framework capable of being translated into action at this delicate stage. As for the opposing calls, they remain without real value unless accompanied by a clear, convincing, and realistic alternative proposal capable of securing a ceasefire, reaching a sustainable truce, and engaging in negotiations where Lebanon’s demands are clearly put forward.

• The Executive Board discussed at length the notable and positive positions expressed by U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio toward Lebanon, considering that the Lebanese file reaching this level of American attention constitutes a qualitative shift and a significant opportunity for the Lebanese state.

The Board considered that this moment allows Lebanon to reposition its path and separate it from the entanglements of regional files that have long constrained it and undermined its decision-making, granting it broader room to restore sovereign initiative. This American engagement also provides moral backing to push the negotiation process forward toward stable and lasting solutions. At the same time, it offers a real source of pressure on Israel to contain and reduce escalation, affirm the absence of any intention to occupy Lebanese territory, secure all of Lebanon’s rights, and strengthen its sovereignty and lasting stability – thus creating a serious opportunity for reconstruction and sustainable economic recovery.

• In light of the strategic shift in the American approach to the conflict with Iran, and the adoption of a maritime blockade of Iranian ports as a decisive pressure tool – with all the resulting global economic repercussions, from rising energy prices to disruptions in production and supply chains – Lebanon, as both a state and a people, must address this reality with precision and responsibility, given the additional burdens it will place on its already fragile situation.

Accordingly, the need emerges for serious engagement with the proposals put forward by economic bodies and the recommendations of Project Watan’s recent conference, particularly regarding spending rationalization and the adoption of preemptive measures capable of containing the repercussions of this delicate phase.