Aoun to Give Speech on Centenary of Lebanon Famine

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun is expected to deliver a speech on the occasion of the century-old tragedy of the devastating famine that left 150,000 and 200,000 people.

Al-Liwaa newspaper quoted sources as saying on Tuesday that Aoun's speech at Le Royal Hotel in Dbayeh will not include political stances.

It is aimed at shedding light at the famine which was caused by blockades and a locust infestation from 1915 to 1918, they said.

Recently unearthed archives offer chilling testimonies of a time when men, women, and children fed themselves on tree bark or died by the side of the road.

But parliamentary sources told al-Liwaa that Aoun's speech could witness a political rhetoric that reflects his latest meeting with Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.

Nasrallah is scheduled to also give a speech on Tuesday.

G.K.

H.K.