Suleiman Returns after 6-Day Visit to Australia
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman and his accompanying delegation returned to Beirut on Saturday following a six-day official visit to Australia.
In remarks to al-Liwaa daily on Saturday, Suleiman expressed relief at the situation in Lebanon, stressing however “this doesn’t mean we should leave it alone and not take care of it.”
Lebanon “deserves permanent care and keenness by the president, the prime minister, the government, the ministers and Lebanese personalities,” he said.
“Through this care, we could salvage Lebanon against any repercussions,” Suleiman stressed.
During his visit to Australia, Suleiman held talks with Prime Minister Julia Gillard and other senior Australian officials and members of the Lebanese community in several cities.
In remarks carried by the state-run National News Agency, the president said the results of his visit “will appear soon particularly with regard to the return of the Lebanese expatriates to Lebanon.”
“This return is not physical. I haven’t told them to leave Australia for good and return to Lebanon but through their bonds with Lebanon in terms of preserving the land and carrying out investments” in their home country, he told NNA.
Suleiman also told reporters on the eve of his return to Lebanon that the sniper attack on Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea can’t be considered yet an “assassination attempt.”
“Until now, it can only be considered as a shooting and the investigations would reveal if it was an assassination attempt… and I hope it’s not,” he said after Geagea revealed earlier this month that he succeeded in avoiding a sniper attack targeting him at his residence in Maarab.
21 April 2012, 14:49
32
Alléluia. Our president has returned from his holidays. He visited the Lebanese scumbags in Australia (like Moroccans/Algerians in Europe). Indeed, our exported citizens in Australia are not well perceived at all there as they are z3ran. Why? I don't know why. They are well respected in the US, Canada, France.... Perhaps Ado.Australia could enlighten us.
21 April 2012, 15:45
22
Benzona, in france, lebanese are viewed as professional criminals. Almost every time a human traficking ring is busted in france, a lebanese man is the leader of it. Likewise when it comes to money laundry and drugs (not hashish on the streets, but the actual smuggling etc). Its also far fetched to claim we are well respected in the US, as most americans dont even know we exist. Most who know about us link us to hezballah bcuz of those who were arrested in the US with suspected ties to hezb. In denmark and sweden, several brutal rapes and beatings of women have been the work of lebanese. Its best not to brag about beeing well respected.
21 April 2012, 22:42
00
you just omfirmed benzona's claims 3ala adrab.... worse than expected frankly
21 April 2012, 23:43
00
Its probably because most of the Lebanese in Australia are hariri supporters from tripoli, dinnieh and akkar.
The president wasted millions taking more than 100 people with him and for what? Nothing. More waste of Lebanon's money.
This accidental president is just enjoying the free ride he got before he quits in 2 years time.
21 April 2012, 16:21
00
During lebanese war, a category of people which families have around 10 children massively emigrated to Australia. Such category of uneducated people specialized in all kinds of banditism to survive and earned us this reputation. Since 1990, most of irregularities exposed on Australian medias involved lebanese. Some years ago, in Kalam el Nass, Marcel Ghanem consacred a show for this problem, and a group of lebanese living in Australia tried with shy words to explain how this situation is affecting their daily life. There are people unable to integrate in civilized societies and instead aim to destroy them.
21 April 2012, 19:18
00
And in Canada Lebanese are viewed as criminals specializing in defrauding the welfare system and conducting immigration/citizenship fraud!!
21 April 2012, 19:56
12
How times change things. Back in the 70s it was a privileged title to be Lebanese. Arabs in the US used to lie and say they are Lebanese so they get more respect and adoration from Americans. Now it is almost as bad as rotten eggs (you got to hold your nose and say it). Having a good reputation is like having pure gold, we squandered it like idiots.
21 April 2012, 23:40
11
good he was away during the big circus that took place in parliamaent with clowns from all sides!
22 April 2012, 03:25
00
Once again after 20 years of civl war, kidnappings, murders of forigners the Lebanese in Lebanon have done enough to destroy Lebanons reputation. You should all be so lucky to have the opportunity to live in Australia which has kept alot of Lebanese afloat financially and otherwise.
22 April 2012, 05:10
00
Hi Benzona,
Ya 3eybeshoum 3leyk to label Lebanese-Australians as scumbags. The only scumbag is you for using such language. Lebanese-Australians are important contributors to Australia. Maybe you should do some research before openning your filthy mouth. You may have heard about 4 or 5 Lebanese-Australian criminals and suddenly label us all us scumbags. You're a fool!
22 April 2012, 09:06
00
I really can not believe how this president wasted Lebanese budget money around 12 millions dollars and brought with him entourage of low life losers - 80 delegates. The president was tricked and convinced by few people from the Lebanese community to come here purely for their own benefits as they desire to have more connection for facilitating their personal scheme in Australia and Lebanon. All you need to do is look who attended the dinner function in Canberra from the Lebanese community and ask yourself why did they attend, as these people should not have been involved in politics considering their line of work. So someone organized for them to be their for a reason and has nothing to do with benefiting Lebanon but only benefiting themself.
22 April 2012, 13:51
00
someone shot at his home from 3-4 kms away using a sophisticated sniper rifle but we are not sure if it was an assasination attempt.. are you sure what your name is? what year it is? or what your job description is?
22 April 2012, 14:42
00
Hey Benzona, you are the only scumbag on EARTH MATE! We Lebanese are PROUD of who we are and where we come from... Engineers, Doctors, Lawyer etc. Yes you have some uneducated scum, but you get that in ALL nationalities. Grow up and smell the coffee, time you Lebs back home LEARN how the real world is and start moving forward, you are ALL 50 years behind the rest of us.
