Aoun stresses state role, floats initiative for negotiations with Israel
President Joseph Aoun on Friday said that Lebanon "has grown tired of the state's absence" and "the Lebanese have grown exhausted of the projects of statelets."
He also proposed a five-point initiative for negotiations with Israel, in a speech marking Independence Day.
The following is the full English-language text of Aoun's address as published by the state-run National News Agency:
"Dear Lebanese,
Fellow citizens at home and abroad, brothers in arms,
Independence starts from the moment we face the truth. That is why I came to South Lebanon, a land that reflects Lebanon’s enduring history of resilience. Here, where the state's authority and sovereignty are challenged, the conversation about independence begins.
From this land, which has endured persistent aggression and lack of governmental presence, but has remained steadfast, there is hope for the restoration of the state sovereignty, national symbols, and independent decision-making. The path to independence starts from the establishment of state authority, full sovereignty, and from the liberation of every inch of Lebanese territory.
Brothers, loved ones,
I have always been honest with you and today honesty feels more necessary than ever.
It is the first Independence Day on which I address you as president after a series of successive voids in power that we will not allow to happen again. Moreover, since this is a critical moment that cannot withstand half-truths, our independence stands as a real and living reality today, not merely as a chapter from the past.
Lebanon’s independence is genuine because Lebanese men and women gave their lives to achieve it. Countless martyrs have fallen on the path to independence and the 22 of November is but a day in this proud history and I regret that we sometimes forget their legacy.
Today, in your name I bow to their sacrifices to the blood they have shed and to their martyrdom.
Those who have fallen in Bchamoun defending the independence government and in the Nejmeh Square defending the independence flag as well as the 14 brave young students of Tripoli who gave their lives demonstrating for independence.
They are the martyrs of the 22nd of November 1943, we honor them and we remain loyal and deeply grateful for their sacrifices.
This country wasn’t born in a day, nor did it achieve independence in a year. It is the sum of a centuries-long struggle for freedom, by individuals and communities united by their shared pursuit of liberty on this land. In a region which has and still unfortunately at times, oppose force to legal rights and oppression to freedom.
And let us also be truthful and admit that the birth of Lebanon in the 1920’s wasn’t a moment of unanimity. Some had considered a smaller Lebanon shaped by concern for individuality and fear for their collective identity to be overwhelmed and dissolved in a contrasting environment. While others envisioned a larger state than Lebanon, believing in an idea that transcends the Lebanese identity, or were motivated by the fear of a foreign hegemony or a colonial state.
However, two major developments happened at the same time and changed the course of events:
First the Lebanese people got to know each other and came to realize that they had a lot in common.
Second, we all found out that the price of living together was less costly than our allegiance to any foreign power whether it came from the East or the West. We discovered that what Lebanon offers us as individuals and communities is far more important than whatever was being proposed as an alternative.
This is how a new national majority was formed by Christians, Muslims and all other Lebanese who refused any vision of a Lebanon smaller than its historical identity or indebted to loyalties larger than itself. This majority became a covenant: a shared belief in Lebanon as a sovereign and unified nation. They embraced the foundational pact and upheld the conviction that Lebanon’s existence as a single cohesive nation-state was worth protecting, even as critics on both sides pursued other projects and other destinies. Yet it is this very covenant that carried us to the independence we celebrate today.
Regrettably, our independence was not managed effectively, and we allowed the adverse external conditions that we were faced with 50 years ago to draw us to a succession of complex wars.
We then emerged from war through the Taif Accords, which instead of restoring full sovereignty placed us once again under foreign tutelage that distorted the implementation of this agreement for more than a decade and a half.
Once the occupation and the tutelage ended, we had another opportunity to reclaim our Independence. Yet soon after, we reverted to conflicts among regional powers competing to inherit tutelage over Lebanon or to use it as leverage in their pursuit of broader foreign influence.
The reason I am saying this now is because today looks a lot like yesterday:
We are going through a very critical and delicate phase of our existence, much like the previous ones, amidst a turmoil of developments and the shifting of balance of powers around us, similar in many ways to what accompanied Lebanon’s creation as an independent state, presenting us with yet another threat to our independence.
Let us speak frankly because we are faced with two contradictory approaches that are far from the truth and the essence of independence. In Lebanon today some of us, doubtful of the unfolding of events in our region, act as if nothing has happened within our borders, around us, in Palestine, or Syria or the rest of the world.
This obstinacy or denial serves for some to continue to believe that things can go on as they have been for the last 40 years, intrespassing the concept of the state and its sovereignty on its own soil. This attitude is denying both the reality and the will of the Lebanese people, as well as dismissing the regional and international changes.
Similarly, there is an opposite approach for some other Lebanese who believe that the shock that happened has wiped out, or even obliterated a whole community in Lebanon, as if it ceased to exist and to be accounted for. In my opinion, this is yet another obstinacy and another form of denial no less wrong or dangerous than the first one.
We as a state, and I as a head of state, stand where our country’s and our people’s interests lie. We do not take sides. Standing here on the soil of the beloved South I say to those who refuse to acknowledge what has happened: times have changed and Lebanon and the Lebanese people are tired of the non-state situation, the world is also weary of us, and we cannot go on living outside the boundaries of the state.
This is not only about ensuring that the state holds authority over arms and decisions of war and peace, though those are very important and inevitable, but the ask is much bigger; it is for all Lebanese citizens to pledge allegiance to Lebanon.
And to be legally and constitutionally part of the Lebanese state. So that we can reestablish the concept of statehood as a way of living and a behavioral code guiding every aspect of our lives on our national soil.
It is no longer acceptable to encroach upon public rights, public property, public funds or the public space. None of this can be justified anymore, not in the name of an exception nor under the pretext of a past, present or future, nor by the blaze of power or its excess, nor by the reaction of one group or region to an unjust reality. All of this is no longer permitted to anyone residing on the Lebanese soil.
While I speak these words with a firm sense of national responsibility, I am equally resolute in refusing to accept any other kind of denial.
It is neither true, nor is it acceptable to act as if a Lebanese community has been defeated or has vanished from the political landscape. They are citizens of this nation who laid down their lives for this country. It is now our collective responsibility to make sure that they, along with all other citizens, return to the embrace of the homeland under the unified authority of the state without exceptions or special conditions.
Because we have taken this stance, we face criticism from both sides, and we are met with misunderstandings, and disbelief. But we will not budge, nor will we back down, as the events unfolding around us prove us right and confirm the validity of our choice:
The Gaza agreement and its adoption by the Security Council confirms our position. Furthermore, our new relationship with Syria is evolving in the right way as between two sovereign and equal states.
As the Higher Commander in Chief, as designated by the Constitution, I am also honored to acknowledge that our armed forces are diligently fulfilling their national duties throughout all regions of Lebanon. This is particularly evident in the South as confirmed by reports of the Quintet Committee entrusted with the implementation of the November 2024 agreement. Despite all trespasses and disagreements, I will never forget that you have given this land countless martyrs while implementing the ceasefire agreement, to which Lebanon has committed fully and unilaterally.
Moreover, our economy is recovering, and we have the figures to prove it, under the wise leadership of specialized government entities and the Governorate of the Central Bank which also comes under fire from those threatened by the return of the state authority.
The Lebanese in Lebanon and around the world are looking at us with big hopes and determination. And you shall see them unite in the coming days, in a historic national event where we welcome His Holiness Pope Leo XIV on his visit to Lebanon entitled “Blessed are the peacemakers”.
We have chosen this title because we are people who believe in peace and seek peace, and our region is heading toward a new phase of stability to which we need to be fully prepared. We envision peace founded on rights and justice. Peace for Palestine and the people of Palestine and we are committed to take part in it fully and efficiently.
We need to do that not to miss out on the occasion and become some sort of bargaining chip or compensation prize on the new map of the region.
We are fully prepared and confident, guided by a clear principle: all Lebanese affairs, from Beirut to the international border are matters we conduct with our own free and independent will, driven solely by the interests of Lebanon and its people. And this means a full Israeli withdrawal from every inch of our soil, and the return of our prisoners and final border arrangements insuring permanent and sustainable stability.
As for the “beyond our border course”, we shall navigate it in alignment and coordination with the unified Arab position. The summit between President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman has shown promising signs for the initiation of such course. Lebanon must not miss this course by even a single step.
This is the reason for my presence in the South today and my deliberate choice of this location and moment. I speak with full awareness and responsibility to my country and people, prepared to convey the following message to the world:
First, to assert the readiness of the Lebanese Army to assume control over the occupied points on our border and the readiness of Lebanon to present to the Quintet Committee a clear timetable to that effect.
Second, to confirm the willingness of the Lebanese Armed Forces to take control over the said points as soon as the Israeli violations and aggression of all sorts cease, and the full withdrawal of the Israeli army from all points.
Third, to entrust the Quintet Committee of making sure that in the South Litani region, only the Lebanese Army is exerting its sovereignty by its own means.
Fourth, to confirm that Lebanon is ready to negotiate under U.S. or international or joint U.S.-international sponsorship any agreement which will put a permanent end to the transborder aggressions.
Fifth, to call on Lebanon’s friends and brotherly countries, to provide oversight throughout this process by establishing clear and guaranteed timelines, implementing an international mechanism of support to the Lebanese Army, as well as assisting in the reconstruction efforts following the devastation inflicted by the war.
This measure will also ensure and reinforce the state’s exclusive authority over arms, ultimately securing that all weapons are in the hands of the state, on the entirety of the Lebanese soil.
This initiative is being presented today for the whole world to see. To every country invested in Lebanon’s future, to every sincere ally wanting to see security and stability on our borders and in the region. We are ready and we are committed.
Brothers, Lebanese men and women
Today marks a new chapter in the history of Lebanon -- one that begins with independence but ends only when the nation regains full sovereignty, guarantees a dignified life for all its citizens, and builds a state dedicated to upholding rights and delivering justice.
We are all fighting the battle of our renewed independence, determined to succeed for the sake of our children’s future, to fulfill the dreams of those who have passed and to keep alive the hopes of those who stood firm. We will protect Lebanon, safeguard its independence and witness its new rebirth, as a country of dialogue, modernity, freedom, tolerance and peace.
We hold on to this country that unites us under one flag where our cedar tree proudly stands as a symbol of our resilience and our unity.
Let us all stand united, with faith in Lebanon as a definitive country that belongs to every one of us.
Long live Lebanon, long live its people and its future."
Source: Naharnet
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