Suleiman from Tripoli: We Urge Assad to Implement Arab League Initiative
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman stressed on Sunday that Lebanon did not oppose the decisions of the Arab League, saying that it refuses the isolation of any country.
He said: “I call on Syrian President Bashar Assad to implement the Arab League initiative.”
He made his statement while touring the northern city of Tripoli, which he kicked off by visiting the region of Bihsas.
Lebanon supports democracy and it does not support the pursuit of political goals through violence, the president added.
“It therefore urges Syria to implement the Arab League initiative in the upcoming two days, launch dialogue with the opposition, and implement reform,” Suleiman stressed.
“Isolation cuts off means for dialogue and no Syrian must feel that he is no longer Arab,” he stated.
Furthermore, he warned that isolation may lead to foreign interference.
The president later visited the city’s Justice Palace and port.
He said after the port visit: “The government supports the funding of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.”
Suleiman explained that the tribunal had come under criticism because “it had committed some error and lost some of its credibility.”
“It should restore its credibility and we always support international decisions,” Suleiman stressed.
He was accompanied on his trip by Prime Minister Najib Miqati, Ministers Ghazi al-Aridi, Marwan Charbel, Mohammed al-Safadi, Nazem al-Khoury, Hassan Diab, Shakib Qortbawi, and Ahmed Karami, and MP Samir al-Jisr.
The president is later sponsored the launch of the city’s Car-Free Day, during which he was presented with the key to the city of Tripoli.
Miqati is later scheduled to throw a luncheon banquet in the president’s honor after which Suleiman is expected to make a speech.
Car-Free Tripoli is an initiative by the city to encourage the adoption of green solutions to preserve the environment.
The event is supported by the Maurice Fadel Foundation and held in cooperation with the Tripoli Youth Network.
On Saturday, the Arab League suspended Syria until Assad implements an Arab deal to end violence against protesters, and called for sanctions and transition talks with the opposition.
Lebanon however voted against the decision.
18 countries agreed to the decision, while Lebanon, Yemen and Syria voted against it and Iraq abstained.
Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour told al-Manar television, hours after the decision was announced, that the “the resolution taken by the Arab League is dangerous, because it was taken against a member state.”
13 November 2011, 11:47
07
Excuse me Mr. President: by voting against the resolution means you are against the decisions of the Arab League. As to Lebanon refusing the isolation of any country, why was Lebanon the key player in drafting and pushing the security council resolution against Libya? I may not be a polished and astute politician, but how credible you think Lebanon and its government are when you make such statements..... I just wonder.
13 November 2011, 12:16
09
“the resolution taken by the Arab League is dangerous, because it was taken against a member state.”
if so, why did you shut up for libya????
13 November 2011, 13:07
04
the resolution by the Arab league is quite fair and has no reason other than pushing the Syrian regime towards dialogue. Anyone who says otherwise is disillusioned and lacks factuality. Syria is at a dangerous cross-roads. rationality dictates moving in a direction that leads to a happy ending which could only be achievable by kick-starting dialogue that leads to a free and democractic Syria. If this is ever to happen, lebanon would follow suit because it has become almost a totalitarian regime that would lead it to destruction. Iran has become all what Lebanon is retating around. It's a dangerous road which has unhappy ending. I exhort the Lebanese as I always did to resort to dialogue in order to free it from any outside interferences. But I know that what I hope is far fetched and could not be applied, Huzbullah is way immmersed in the Iranian quick sand and would bring down Lebanon with it. Only if a regime change transpires in Syia would the situation change.
13 November 2011, 13:12
14
I think that Sulieman is a scared president and hence I would have preferred him to remain in his palace until his term is over instead of firing all these statements which in all honesty he doesn't mean to say. It can't be that lebanon voted against the Arab league decision and he comes to tell us that we is with dialogue in Syria.
Suleiman has ever since he was elected a very weak personality lacking all sorts of reasoning. I also know that without the approval of Harriri the Suleiman would not have dreamed of being a president. harriri put him in the presidency because he thought he would be his puppet and indeed he was until harriri was toppled and noe he became a puppet of Huzbullah.
We need a president like Shehab who has courage and wit not one like Suleiman who is scared of his shadow.
Lastly, even though I don't like Aoun, but he could have been a much better president than Suleiman.
13 November 2011, 14:55
07
But Mr President your Syrian counterpart President Assad says he already implemented the Arab League Initiative, are you calling him a liar?!
13 November 2011, 18:35
05
Double standard president. so that he remains in the seat and survive.
14 November 2011, 00:35
04
blah blah blah, my master said this, and master ordered me to do this, blah blah blah
