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President Aoun delivered the Lebanese speech at the “Second International Conference to Aid and Support Lebanon and the Lebanese People”.
President Aoun delivered the Lebanese speech at the “Second International Conference to Aid and Support Lebanon and the Lebanese People”.
02/12/2020

President Aoun: “Lebanon doesn’t know the impossible and we are a people who are never tired of the struggle to preserve their existence, and the international community must not abandon the country of the Cedars, and the wealth which it represents for all humanity”.

 

President Aoun: “We are determined to continue the process of liberating the Lebanese state from the system of corruption. The international community can help fight the theft of public funds and track abroad transfers”.

 

President Aoun: “The numerous tragedies which the Lebanese are facing are beyond their capacity and ability to bear. The assistance of the international community is essential, regardless of the methods, mechanisms, tools and channels of adoption”.

 

President Aoun: “I renew the call to the international community to resolve the issue of return of the displaced Syrians to their lands. Our priority is to form a Government by adopting one criteria which applies on all political forces”.

 

President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, asserted that “Lebanon doesn’t know the impossible, and our history tells us that we are a people who are not tired of the struggle to preserve their existence. Lebanon is determined, no matter what the cost, to pursue the process of liberating the Lebanese state from the system of political, economic and administrative corruption, which the country has become hostage to, with the cover of sectarian and social guarantees. The President also considered that “The international community can provide basic assistance to Lebanon in this context, through the means available to the United Nations and the European Union, in terms of combatting the theft of public funds and tracking illegal transfers of capital abroad, specifically starting from October 17, 2019”.

“The numerous tragedies which befell Lebanon, which the Lebanese are facing today, exceed their capacity and ability to endure, as the economic difficulties the country is going through have burdened their shoulders, hit their savings and jobs, threatened their children’s future, and in the midst of spread of Covid19 pandemic came the tragedy of the Beirut Port explosion striking the heart of our capital. This increased the tragedies of our people and the damage inflicted our economy. The assistance of the international community is essential, whatever the methods, mechanisms or tools and whatever the channels which will be adopted, as long as it is under the supervision of the United Nations” President Aoun continued.

The President then renewed the call to the international community to “Resolve the issue of return of displaced Syrians to their lands, because our depleted country doesn’t have the infrastructure nor the appropriate means which would allow it to continue receiving or providing them with any support”.

“Today, our priority is to form a Government by adopting single standards which apply on all political forces. What is required of the coming Government is to launch the workshop of urgent structural reforms, reconstruct Beirut, develop a financial and economic recovery plan and law down implementation frameworks” President Aoun added.

The stances of President Aoun came in a speech addressed at the “Second International Conference to Aid and Support Lebanon and the Lebanese People”, held via video technology, this evening at the French capital, Paris.

The conference was held at the invitation of French President, Emmanuel Macron, chaired also by President Macron and UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, with around 30 Presidents, Prime Ministers and Ministers participating, in addition to directors of international and financial organizations, and NGOs.

Before delivering the speech, President Aoun and the participants listened to the words of a number of Lebanese youth from civil and non-governmental organizations and associations expressing their feelings and sufferings, as a result of last August’s Beirut Port explosion.

The President indicated that the Lebanese youth have expressed their concerns, their deep rootedness in their country, and their great hope for the future of Lebanon.

President Aoun’s Speech:

Address by His Excellency the President of the Lebanese Republic

General Michel Aoun

at the videoconference on humanitarian assistance for Lebanon

December 2, 2020

 

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to thank my friend, His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron, for the unwavering support he is always demonstrating for Lebanon. Despite all the hurdles placed in the face of the French initiative, it must continue because the crises that my country is going through exceed its limits.

Doesn’t the saying go:  “Impossible n’est pas français

 

I would also like to thank the Secretary General of the United Nations His Excellency Mr. Antonio Guterres and all the country leaders who are present today, united by the sincere desire to help Lebanon and its people.

 

The letter that I addressed to the Lebanese Parliament, following the halt of the forensic audit has earned a general consensus. Indeed, this national challenge to which I hold-on more than anything else, and which I have been claiming since 2005, is above political bickering. Without it, no agreement would be possible neither with the countries that wish to help Lebanon, nor with the IMF. The parliamentary blocs responded with a unanimous agreement on a complete and comprehensive audit. 

 

This decision would allow to identify the people responsible for the bankruptcy of our economic system, and pave the way for reforms that are necessary for the recovery of the Lebanese State.

 

I am determined, at all costs, to go all the way to rescue the country from the system of political, financial and administrative corruption that has taken it hostage under the guise of various types of codified, sectarian, confessional and social protection. Your assistance is indispensable, through the means that the United Nations and the European Union possess, to fight the embezzlement of public funds and trace down the illegal transfers that were made, notably after October 17.

 

Today, it’s a priority to form a government while applying the same criteria to all political forces. The government’s tasks are huge:  it must at the same time launch the workshop of structural reforms, rebuild Beirut and put forth a financial recovery plan.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

The multiple tragedies that the Lebanese are facing today are dramatic. The country’s economic difficulties have hit hard their savings and their jobs, even undermining the future of their children.  The tragic Port blast that struck the heart of Beirut has added to their troubles, along with the Covid-19 that continues to rage in our country and throughout the world.

 

For all these reasons which came on top of each other in an unsustainable manner, your assistance is crucial for the overall Lebanese population, from North to South.

 

This assistance is indispensable, regardless of the selected method, mechanism, process and channel, provided that everything remains under your supervision and that of the United Nations. 

 

It is worth noting that Lebanon is currently negotiating a loan of 246 million dollars with the World Bank, for the Lebanese Emergency Crisis and COVID-19 Response Social Safety Net Project. We will complete the negotiations this week and we would like to request urgent approval by the World Bank’s Board of Directors.

 

Today, Lebanon continues to pay a high price with a sheer number of Syrian displaced. It is therefore more urgent than ever that the international community regulates for good their return to their safe territories.  Our benighted country has neither the infrastructure nor the means to keep accommodating them, and less even to provide assistance to them.

 

Dear friends,

Lebanon is the country of all possibilities!

Our history proves that we have always resisted to exist.

I have called on the Lebanese people to rise in a unified voice, to exert pressure where needed, in order to win the anti-corruption battle, an existential war for Lebanon.  Today, here and now, I ask the international community not to abandon the country of the Cedars which is “a treasure for the entire humanity”.

 

 

Thank you”.​