Trump thanks Aoun for his decisive leadership of Lebanon

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban

President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, received a message from his American counterpart, Donald Trump, expressing his pleasure at welcoming him to the White House on July 21 and praising his leadership of Lebanon during this critical phase.

According to the Lebanese Presidency, the message stated: “It was an honor to welcome you to the White House in a historic visit in every sense of the word, the first by a Lebanese head of state in nearly two decades. At a time when the Middle East is engulfed in conflict, I was impressed by your decisive leadership on behalf of Lebanon and its people.”

President Trump thanked President Aoun for awarding him the National Order of the Cedar, Grand Cordon class, noting, “This gesture is an exceptional honor that embodies the noble Lebanese spirit. I will cherish this gesture as a symbol of our shared commitment to peace, security, and prosperity around the world.”

Also at Baabda, the President discussed with his visitors the field developments in the south and the issue of negotiations. Former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, said after meeting President Aoun: “I support negotiations and a ceasefire agreement if they lead to a gradual or full Israeli withdrawal. He added, “If the framework agreement leads to a withdrawal and the demarcation of borders, what is the problem? This is my personal view, no more and no less.”

Attention is now turning to what Prime Minister Dr. Nawaf Salam will bring back from the United States, where he represents Lebanon at the High-Level Week of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, which begins tomorrow. He is expected to meet with several Western officials.

Meanwhile, the “Lady of the Mountain Gathering” (Liqaa Sayyidat al-Jabal), following its weekly meeting, reaffirmed its “adherence, in the clearest terms and words, to the Taif Agreement as it stands,” considering that “the finality of the entity and Lebanon’s Arab identity constitute the fundamental pillars of this agreement, which serves as a socio-political contract among Lebanese.” It stressed that “any attempt to develop or amend this agreement at this critical juncture for Lebanon and the region is clearly rejected.”

In the meantime, tensions continued in southern Lebanon, with the sounds of massive explosions echoing far and wide. The Israeli army set fire to homes in the town of Zoutar al-Sharqia after its artillery shelled its outskirts, and carried out large-scale explosions in the towns of Kfar Tibnit and Ainata in the Bint Jbeil district. A missile launched by a fighter jet onto Nabatieh al-Fouqa failed to detonate.