The political recommendations issued by the Future Movement following the party’s two-day founding conference echoed the major political stances adopted by the movement’s leader, Premier Saad Hariri, since 2005.

The recommendations stressed the Future Movement’s commitment to achieving justice in the assassination of its founder, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, as well as building upon a new positive page in ties with Syria while upholding the movement’s loyalty to the March 14 alliance principles.

Another major issue raised in the movement’s political recommendations was that the party saw no alternative to “diplomatic resistance” as a starter, followed by military action of the Lebanese Army if required to liberate Lebanese occupied territories.

“The Future Movement sees no contradiction or conflict between justice and civil peace but believes that civil peace is preserved by justice and stresses that no compromise on justice will take place,” article six of the recommendations said in reference to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The recommendations also stressed the Future Movement’s commitment to the March 14 alliance’s principles, adding that the Future Movement remains one of the coalition’s pioneers.

“The conference stresses that the Future Movement is not only a political and organizational constituent of the March 14 alliance, but the founder by the blood of its martyr leader and of the national movement that surpassed all sectarian and geographic boundaries,” article 12 said.

“Also, it considers the movement to be responsible for the continuation and revival [of the March 14 alliance] as a reference for Muslim-Christian partnership and a guarantee for civil peace,” Ahmad Hariri, who was elected the party’s secretary general, said during a news conference to announce the recommendations.

As for ties with Damascus, the Future Movement voiced support for Premier Saad Hariri’s initiative in turning a new page in relations to serve both countries’ interests and to pave the way for a Lebanese-Syrian joint project that would promote inter-Arab ties.

“The conference also highlights the importance of establishing diplomatic ties at the level of embassies between Damascus and Beirut,” Ahmad Hariri read.

Tackling the liberation of Lebanese territories occupied by Israel, the statement stressed that the Future Movement saw “no alternative to diplomatic resistance undertaken by the Lebanese state and the use of military capabilities if needed.”

“Thus, the determination to provide the Lebanese Army with the necessary equipment and armament,” article six of the recommendations added.

The issue of liberating occupied Lebanese territories was the focus of domestic debate during the formulation of the policy statement of Saad Hariri’s Cabinet. The policy statement stressed the Lebanese Army, people and resistance’s right to liberate occupied territories.

March 14 parties want the Lebanese state be the sole authority to command decisions of peace and war.

The statement also underlined the Future Movement’s commitment to lay the foundations for regional peace as “peace in Lebanon goes hand in hand with peace in the region.”

Ahmad Hariri also emphasized that the Future Movement would not bear a Sunni identity but would rather establish the foundations of a modern Lebanese state away from sectarian and religious alignments.

“The conference looks with great concern to Christian emigration from certain Middle Eastern states and believes that defending the Christian presence is an Arab and Muslim responsibility as much as it is a Christian one,” article three said.

The statement also emphasized its support for the Palestine cause as well as the Palestinian refugees’ right of return in line with the Arab Peace Initiative.

“The conference stresses its support to the Palestinian refugees’ humanitarian rights in Lebanon and emphasized that the issue of humanitarian rights should not be tied to naturalization which is rejected,” article 10 read.