President Aoun: We have brought Lebanon back onto the world map; rebuilding the South is the greatest challenge

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban: President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun received an official invitation from his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, to visit Paris. The invitation was conveyed to him by the French Chargé d’Affaires in Beirut, Bruno da Silva, to participate in a meeting scheduled for September 17, in preparation for the international conference to support the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, with the participation of military delegations and experts from several countries.

President Aoun stated before the Board of Directors of the National Council for Scientific Research: “We have brought Lebanon back onto the world map, and we will continue working to rebuild the state in parallel with efforts to end the current situation in the South.” He added that “the greatest challenge is reconstruction following Israel’s withdrawal from the occupied towns and villages in the South and the deployment of the Lebanese Army up to the borders.”

Addressing the members of the Council, the President of the Republic said: “Your role is essential in helping to rebuild state institutions.”

In another meeting at Baabda Palace with the Director-General of UNESCO, Dr. Khaled El-Enany, President Aoun said that “the organization’s decision to include the five castles of Jabal Amel on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger is an international recognition of the exceptional value of this cultural heritage, which holds centuries of history of southern Lebanon.” He pointed out that this heritage is “an integral part of the heritage of all humanity.”

He added that “this achievement imposes a doubled responsibility on the international community to protect these sites and preserve their integrity.”

At the Second Presidency in the Ain al-Tineh district of Ras Beirut, adjacent to the sea, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, during his reception of a delegation from the “U.S. Working Group for Lebanon” led by Ambassador Edward Gabriel, said: “What the South is enduring is unbearable and may have surpassed the crimes and massacres against people, property, and heritage, and the killing of civilians in Gaza, in violation of the most basic international and human laws, covenants, and customs.”

President Berri added: “The United States is the only country, and President Donald Trump is the only one, capable of compelling Israel to end its war, cease fire, and withdraw to the international borders in the South.”

He continued: “At that point, I guarantee the immediate deployment of the Lebanese Army in the area south of the Litani River, with the Army being the sole force safeguarding security and the only entity possessing weapons in that area. It is a region where the inhabitants have the right to return, rebuild, and are eager to see the Lebanese Army safeguarding their security and stability.”

For his part, Ambassador Gabriel said after the meeting: “We sensed that President Berri is very keen on achieving progress regarding the pilot areas and that he personally wants to see the pilot areas succeed.”

Regarding the meeting, he elaborated: “We believe it was a very good meeting, and the Speaker of the Parliament was very straightforward. We will ensure that we convey his vision and perspective to U.S. policymakers.”

Asked about what Washington could do, the head of the “U.S. Working Group for Lebanon” said: “We have a U.S. President who is highly interested in seeing the Lebanese crisis resolved. President Trump is working hard to push the Israelis to stop the machinery of death and destruction. In fact, President Trump told the Israelis: ‘Enough, enough.’”

At the Saraya in central Beirut, Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam and Canadian Minister of State for International Development Randy Boissonnault discussed ways for Canada to support the state’s efforts to advance the return and recovery process in the South, amid limited available resources and growing needs, thereby enhancing the state’s capacity to meet the needs of returnees and consolidate stability. The Canadian delegation subsequently visited Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri.