Hariri: Attempts to Change Our Identity and Import Extremism and Terrorism Will Fail

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri stressed Thursday that any attempt to “change Lebanon's identity” or import “extremism and terrorism” will fail.

“Neither the franchise of changing our identity, nor the franchise of sectarianism, extremism, violence and terrorism, will succeed in Lebanon,” said Hariri at the annual dinner of the Beirut International Franchise Forum and Exhibition (BIFEX 2016), which was organized by the Lebanese Franchise Association.

“Some may wonder whether the time is suitable for investment in Lebanon in light of the political and economic context in the country. The answer is simply Yes,” Hariri added.

“Investment in Lebanon should be seen as long-term investment and put within the framework of the promising opportunities that will definitely arise once a president is elected and the work of the constitutional institutions returns to normal,” he noted.

Stressing the importance of “electing a president and putting an end to the vacancy,” Hariri pledged that he will always adhere to “coexistence, national unity, Christian-Muslim parity and free economy.”

“I will always adhere to moderation, openness, building the modern civil state, and individual, religious, political and intellectual freedoms, so that Lebanon remains a message and an exemplar to all human, political and economic successes in the region and the world,” Hariri vowed.