Full story
Aoun backs diplomacy
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that wars only end either through negotiations or when one side prevails over the other, stressing that his administration is making every effort to achieve political and security stability in the country.
“Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Wednesday that wars only end either through negotiations or when one side prevails over the other”
Aoun made the remarks during a meeting with a delegation from the Teachers’ Union, headed by union chief Naama Mahfoud.
In the same meeting, Aoun reiterated that “wars do not lead to any results, as they bring nothing to countries except destruction and bring nothing to peoples except poverty.”
He added that “the path is not easy and involves many difficulties, but it is not impossible,” and said Lebanon’s people “do not need aid to rebuild their country; all they are asking for is political and security stability.”
Meeting with Berri
Aoun renewed his commitment to diplomacy as the approach to address the crises Lebanon faces, and the report said his meeting with Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri was the first between them since last March.
The report described the Baabda Palace meeting as covering the general domestic and regional situation and developments in southern Lebanon amid ongoing Israeli attacks on southern villages and towns, including the demolition and razing of homes, with an emphasis on stopping these attacks.
After the meeting, Berri said the discussion addressed the results of the President's visit to Washington and the developments in the south, adding: “As usual, I am comfortable with the meeting.”
The same report said Aoun and Berri agreed that, a few days before the seventh round of the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations next week, the priority at this stage is the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon and ensuring the return of residents to their towns and villages.
Economy and political stakes
Aoun linked his call for diplomacy to economic indicators, saying last year’s figures showed economic growth of 4%, a budget surplus of around $1.3 billion, and an increase of $2 billion in the central bank’s foreign currency reserves.
“economic growth of 4%, a budget surplus of around $1.3 billion”
The report also said Aoun told his visitors that “wars do not lead to any result, and they bring destruction to the country, and to the peoples they bring only poverty.”
It further stated that Aoun stressed Lebanon “cannot rise without political and security stability,” presenting stability as the essential entry point to economic revival and growth.
In the same broader context of his meetings, the report said Aoun received the Swedish ambassador to Lebanon on a farewell visit and discussed state sovereignty, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the exclusive right of the state to bear arms.