​President Aoun: “Conflict risks in Ukraine are comprehensive. The only solution is peace and the best is through negotiations led by the United Nations”.

President Aoun: “Justice will be achieved in the Beirut Port blast”.

President Aoun: “Resistance to occupation is not terrorism”.

President Aoun: “Parts of Lebanese and Syrian lands are still occupied by Israel, and upon reaching their liberation, a process of peace negotiations can be launched to preserve rights”.

President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, in an exclusive interview to the widespread newspaper La Republica, published this morning, asserted that he knows that the Pope will take an initiative to help Lebanon, and that Italy, which provides economic aid, can support the Lebanese parties to meet and agree on a solution.

Regarding the war in Ukraine, the President pointed out that the risks of conflict are comprehensive, and the only solution is peace, "And the best is through negotiations led by the United Nations”.

Regarding the explosion of the port of Beirut, President Aoun expressed his confidence that justice will be achieved, especially as all the Lebanese seek it, stressing his demand to remove all obstacles that prevent its achievement.

The President also pointed out that seeking to implement expanded administrative decentralization would contribute to a better implementation of the Lebanese constitution.

President Aoun also reiterated that Hezbollah has no influence in any way on the security situation of the Lebanese, stressing that the party that liberated southern Lebanon from the Israeli occupation is made up of Lebanese who have suffered from the occupation and "Resisting the occupation is not terrorism”.

In response to another question, President Aoun, indicated that Lebanon is not a country that likes wars, stating that “There are parts of the lands of Lebanon and Syria that are still occupied. When we reach liberation, there will be no problems with regard to a military conflict, and a process of peace negotiations can be launched with Israel, to preserve rights and national sovereignty and liberate land and water”.

Text:

Question: What is the content of your meeting with His Holiness the Pope, and is His Holiness ready to intervene in order to help Lebanon?

Answer: “His Holiness is closely following the crises afflicting our country, and I know that he will take an initiative to help us.  But it is not up to us to define the conditions for this assistance or its components”.

Question: Did he assure you that he would visit Lebanon?

Answer: "We have been waiting for the Pope for a long time. I renewed his invitation to visit Lebanon”.

Question: Lebanon needs urgent help from the international community, which in return demands reforms. What role does Italy play in this regard?

Answer: “Lebanon is in definite need of assistance, but at the present time, we are suffering from a worsening food security crisis, which does not enable us to pass a stage of extreme poverty that affects many segments of Lebanese society in particular.  It is known that Italy is providing economic aid, in cooperation with the European Union, and it can also play a political role. An assistance based on supporting the Lebanese parties to meet and agree on a solution would be useful”.

Question: Russia is a strategic player in the Middle East, through its allies, and also with regard to what is happening in Lebanon. Do you fear that the conflict in Ukraine will change the balance in the region and change the role of Moscow, in addition to the fear of the possibility of securing the necessary raw materials that your country needs?

Answer: “When the war ends, there will be a victor, and the victor will determine his conditions. At this stage, there are still negotiations going on, but the stage we are going through is very complicated.  Everyone is aware that the risks of this conflict are comprehensive, as all countries will be affected in one way or another, especially if we look at the matter from the perspective of agricultural production and not others. The only solution is peace, and the best is through negotiations led by the United Nations”.

Question: Since the explosion that took place in Beirut on August 4, the Lebanese have been calling for justice, but the relevant judicial authorities suffer from obstacles in the progress of investigations.  How can citizens trust it?

Answer: “There is a conflict in Lebanon between those who want justice and those who do not, and some parties oppose the existing path. It is necessary to make sacrifices in order to achieve the goal, but I am confident that justice will be achieved, especially since all the Lebanese seek it, and I demanded the removal of all obstacles that prevent its achievement”.

Question: Millions took to the squares in October 2019 to demand radical changes to the system, and this did not happen. Is the Lebanese political class difficult to reform?

Answer: “I was the first to call for change.  Our system is complex, based on consensual democracy, and we have 3 main political references, which makes it difficult to find solutions acceptable to all. We seek to implement expanded administrative decentralization that would contribute to a better implementation of our constitution”.

Question: One of the most prominent concerns of the international community with regard to Lebanon is what is related to the existence of a state within the state: Hezbollah, with its full military capacity.  What is the government doing to address this issue?

Answer: “Hezbollah's position inside Lebanon is completely different from its view abroad. And Hezbollah has no influence, in any way, on the security situation of the Lebanese internally. As for the southern border, cooperation exists between the army and UNIFIL forces.  Hezbollah is a party that owns weapons and liberated southern Lebanon from the Israeli occupation. It is made up of Lebanese from the south who suffered from the Israeli occupation. Resisting occupation is not terrorism”.

Question: There have been agreements between the United Arab Emirates and a number of countries with Israel, which contributed to communication between them. Is it possible to reach such a matter between Israel and Lebanon?

Answer: “The communication between Israel and these countries took place because these countries do not have parts of their lands occupied by Israel, while there are parts of the lands of Lebanon and Syria that are still occupied. When we reach liberation, there will be no problems with regard to a military conflict, and it is possible to start a process of peace negotiations with Israel, in order to preserve rights and national sovereignty and liberate land and water, because Lebanon is not a country that loves wars”.

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