Army chief says not interested in becoming president

Army Commander General Joseph Aoun on Monday announced that he does not “care” about the presidential file.

“I don't care about it, it doesn't concern me, no one has discussed it with me and I haven't discussed it with anyone,” Aoun said during a meeting with a delegation from the Press Syndicate.

As for the situation at the Ain el-Helweh Palestinian refugee camp, which has recently witnessed several rounds of deadly fighting, Aoun said: “There is no intention nor an endeavor by the army to enter the Ain el-Helweh camp.”

“We have taken all the measures and deployed a military force around the camp to prevent the fighting from spilling from it,” the commander added.

As for the issue of the smuggling of Syrian refugees through the land border, Aoun said “smuggling is currently reined in with an 85% rate,” noting that “the border is vast, open and intertwined” and that the army does not have enough personnel or logistical capabilities to fully seal it.