Lebanese President reaffirms commitment to state-building and reclaiming land through peaceful solutions
Beirut, August 11 (KUNA) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed on Tuesday his commitment to a project of rebuilding state institutions and reclaiming occupied Lebanese territories through negotiations and peaceful solutions. The Lebanese Presidency said in a statement that this came during his reception of a delegation of Lebanese at the Baabda Palace in Beirut.
Aoun said that “the fundamental conflict in the country today revolves around a majority that seeks to build the state and restore its standing, and another group that rejects the state option and its institutional fabric.” He stressed that his primary goal is to rebuild the state “regardless of the challenges and irrespective of the opposition of those seeking to undermine its foundations and prevent its establishment.”
Regarding the file of negotiations with the Israeli occupation, the Lebanese President clarified that the talks are achieving “tangible progress” and remain, in any case, the best and least costly option compared to the destructive outcomes of wars. He noted that the scale of Israeli occupation attacks had diminished following the signing of the “Framework Formula” under American sponsorship, and that this had had a “positive” impact on the movement of Lebanese returning to spend the summer in the country.
Aoun considered that negotiating with the Israeli occupation “is not surrender or concession, but rather a complementary path to achieving national objectives, namely the liberation of land, the return of prisoners, and the reconstruction of what has been destroyed through peaceful means.” He stressed that the state “will not allow the occupation to remain on a single inch of its territory or for any of its soldiers to be present on it,” pointing out that there is no disagreement among Lebanese over the “noble” objectives of the negotiations.
President Aoun called on all Lebanese to stand by the state in its “negotiating effort, which is supported by a cross-sectarian Lebanese majority,” emphasizing that the time “has come for the son of the South to settle on his land, far from wars waged for non-Lebanese objectives.”
With regard to the issue of administrative corruption and its impact on the flow of investments from expatriates, the Lebanese President noted that “the judiciary is primarily responsible for this file, and matters have begun to follow the right course following recent judicial appointments.” He also revealed that work continues on implementing the government’s e-government project to facilitate transactions and curb corruption. (End) F.Z. / M.A. H.A.
