Aoun Urges 'Dissociating' Lebanon by 'Strong President who Can Gather All Parties, Equipping Army'
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Saturday called for “dissociating” Lebanon from the regional conflicts through electing “a strong president” who can “gather all parties” and providing modern arms and training to the army.
“The fire is surrounding us but it won't reach us and if we want to dissociate Lebanon from its surroundings, we have missions to perform, such as the election of a strong president for a strong state and strong army, a president who would truly represent his popular base,” said Aoun at an FPM dinner commemorating the March 14, 1989 Liberation War.
“We want a president who would reconcile between all parties and we want to build well-equipped and well-trained armed forces, instead of settling for saluting the army's martyrs,” Aoun added.
“We are all army in Arsal and across Lebanon and we are all resistance against Israel and the takfiris and terrorists,” he declared.
The FPM leader warned that the current changes in the region and the world “cannot bear further waiting.”
“We must confront them unified. We must choose what we want of them before others impose what they want on us and we're invited to start a new chapter through extending our hands to each other,” he added.
Aoun underlined that “we must overcome the negativity of the past in order to deserve the future."
Aoun served as the PM of one of two rival governments contending for power in Lebanon from 1988 to 1990.
He declared what he called a “Liberation War” against Syrian forces present in Lebanon on March 14, 1989. On October 13, 1990, the Syrian forces invaded the areas under Aoun's control and overran the presidential palace.
Aoun left the palace and sought refuge in the French embassy and was later allowed to travel to France. He returned to Lebanon on May 7, 2005, eleven days after the withdrawal of Syrian troops.
In 2006, as head of the FPM, he signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hizbullah. He later visited Syria in 2009.
“Officials inside and outside Lebanon tried to delay my return to the country until after the (2005) parliamentary elections with the aim of eliminating me from political life,” Aoun charged.
Recalling the election of president Michel Suleiman after the Doha agreement that followed the May 7, 2008 clashes, Aoun stressed that “this mistake will not be repeated and there won't be another Doha."
“Our political choices are aimed at preserving Lebanon and we succeeded in achieving this objective and Lebanon remained stable despite the contradictions that inflamed some throats but failed to inflame the situation on the ground,” Aoun said
He pointed out that during all stages, the FPM's concern was to preserve stability.
“Because we believe that dialogue is the gateway to salvation and that the country can only be built on partnership, we engaged in dialogue with ex-PM Saad Hariri, which led to the formation of the cabinet of national interest,” Aoun noted.
The country has been without a president since Suleiman's term ended on May 25, 2014. Political disputes and electoral rivalry between Aoun and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea have so far prevented the election of a successor.
Y.R.
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