BEIRUT: The head of the Lebanese Democratic Party MP Talal Arslan, warned Monday the citizens of the majority-Druze region of Jabal Arab in Syria against attempts to place Syria under new forms of “colonization.” He said there was an attempt to eradicate Syrian “nationalism.” “Through misleading campaigns, this new form of colonization wants to eliminate any form of Syrian national feelings.” Such colonization, he said, aims at creating “great chaos” at the expense of Syria’s national interests. A prominent Lebanese Druze leader, Arslan encouraged dialogue between the Syrian state and opposition groups to safeguard the country from conspiracies. Residents of Jabal al-Arab, southeast Syria, have kept their distance with regard to violent events since March 11, 2011. Lebanon’s other main Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has expressed support for the uprising against President Bashar Assad.