Aoun: Lebanon Must Not Pay Price for Regional Conflicts

by Naharnet Newsdesk 20 November 2017, 14:49

President Michel Aoun stressed on Monday during talks with Arab League chief Ahmed Abu el-Gheit at the Presidential Palace that Lebanon must not “pay the price for regional conflicts,” after its closing statement a day earlier that named Hizbullah party a “terror” organization.

“Lebanon is not responsible for the Arab and regional conflicts that some Arab states are witnessing. Lebanon did not carry out any aggression against anyone and it should not pay the price of these conflicts,” Aoun told Abu el-Gheit who arrived in Lebanon Monday.

The President added: “Lebanon can not tolerate a suggestion that the Lebanese government is a partner in terrorist acts. Lebanon's stance declared through its representative at the Arab League yesterday expressed a national will.”

Turning to Lebanon's conflict with Israel and how the country has countered the Israeli aggressions since 1978, Aoun said: “Lebanon was able to face the Israeli aggressions since 1978 until the 2006 war. It was able to liberate its land. Israeli threats are still ongoing, the Lebanese have the right to fight and thwart it with all available means.”

The closing statement of an emergency Arab League meeting on Sunday labeled Hizbullah as “terrorist”, which prompted Lebanon’s representative to voice reservations over certain clauses.

The statement accused Hizbullah of “training terrorist groups” in Bahrain, “supporting terrorist groups” in Saudi Arabia, and “supporting terror and terrorist groups in Arab countries with advanced weapons and ballistic missiles.”

And describing Hizbullah as a “partner in the Lebanese government,” the statement also accused the group of “spreading extremism and sectarianism” and “interfering in the internal affairs of other countries.”

The Lebanese envoy to the meeting, Antoine Azzam, made carefully weighed comments at the talks.

While not mentioning Iran by name, he said Lebanon condemned all attacks against Arab nations, but blamed exploitable inter-Arab divisions that allowed international and regional powers to promote their interests.

SourceNaharnet Agence France Presse

Lebanon

Comments 10

ex-fpm 20 November 2017, 15:04

What really sticks out is the sellout's statement : "Lebanon did not carry out any aggression against anyone "!

He is the first one to defend hezbollah and say they are a major part of the Lebanese 'fabric' and they are represented in parliament and government. So, when part of the Lebanese government is fighting in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain among many other places and training other terrorist groups to overthrow the regimes of their own countries under direct instructions from Iran all that goes to support his bankrupt logic that "Lebanon does not carry out any aggression against anyone "!

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ex-fpm 20 November 2017, 15:08

Aoun: Israeli threats are still ongoing, the Lebanese have the right to fight and thwart it with all available means.

and by that he means having hezbollah as the 'available means'. Yet, Nassrallah says and repeats the road to Palestine goes through every Arab Capital or City from Aleppo to Zabadani to Sanaa to Riyadh.

Spare us your 'Lebanon is fighting the Israeli enemy' rhetoric. Your enemy and that of hezbollah is the Arab world and the Arab world only.

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marcus 20 November 2017, 15:17

"the Lebanese have the right to fight and thwart it with all available means.”, Aoun said.

Ok fine, then have hezbollah hand over its weapons to the state and let the Lebanese army be the sole defender of Lebanon's sovereignty and not an iranian owned and operated sectarian militia even by the group's leader own admission.

Or, if you want to sound clever, have a national resistance comprised of the various Lebanese factions similar to the army and not a shia only iranian armed and backed group.

You fool nobody nor do your loyalties.

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justin 20 November 2017, 15:25

"Israeli threats are still ongoing, the Lebanese have the right to fight and thwart it with all available means.”

I am assuming he is referring to his glorious hezbollah resistance. Can the 'president' tell us how when and where the Lebanese have chosen iranian hezbollah to thwart Israeli aggression?

Was there a referendum in which the Lebanese chose hezbollah as their only available means to thwart Israeli aggression?

The reality is hezbollah imposed itself on the Lebanese through its illegal arms and appointed itself as the only available means to 'thwart Israeli aggression' which in itself is also a joke.

Laughable indeed.

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