The President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, placed the protection of Lebanon and its people at the forefront of the objectives of the negotiations, stressing his openness to every option or path that spares the country the scourge of war and protects its sovereignty, stability and national interests.
Aoun said, before the “Bekaa Meeting for Development and Belonging” delegation: “I have identified the main objectives of the negotiations, which are to spare Lebanon the scourge of war, and to protect its sovereignty, stability and national interests. I am open to every option and path that can contribute to achieving these objectives, because the priority is to protect Lebanon and its people.”
On the development level, Aoun emphasized working to strengthen the state’s presence in the Bekaa in a way that matches its needs and importance, by paying attention to development projects, most notably the Beirut-Bekaa Project, the Arab Highway, and the Lebanese University Complex, in addition to caring for the Litani River and its course.
He stressed that confronting the challenges that Lebanon is going through can only be achieved through national unity and internal solidarity.
In this context, Aoun praised what was stated in the speech of Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nabih Berri, on the anniversary of the disappearance of Imam Musa al-Sadr, especially his affirmation of the basic postulates of civil peace, adherence to the army and the Taif Agreement, and considering them as red lines.
He considered that Berri’s positions constitute “a message to the interior rather than to the exterior.”
Aoun concluded by stressing that Lebanon has many opportunities, stressing the importance of not wasting them on narrow calculations, and learning from the past and drawing lessons from it to build a better future.
