The President of the Republic: “The demand for an international investigation into the harbor issue is aimed at losing the truth, and it was not raised with the French President”
President Aoun: “We are facing changes and reconsideration of our consensual system, after it was found to be paralyzed”.
The President of the Republic: “There is no internationalization of the crisis, and if we cannot govern ourselves, no one can rule us. It will not affect Lebanese sovereignty during my era”.
President Aoun: “We are working on a plan to rebuild Beirut better than it was. There is a possibility for countries to undertake reconstruction operations directly for specific neighborhoods in the capital”.
The President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, stressed, in a chat with accredited journalists at the presidential Palace, that his goal is to show the reality of the Beirut port explosion through the ongoing investigation, stressing the achievement of justice and that no one can push him anywhere or prevent him from revealing the facts. He said: "In this case, it will not be small or big, but the doors of all courts will be open to for both alike."
Speaking about the existing possibilities for the explosion, President Aoun said demanding an international investigation into the port issue is aimed at losing the truth, and late justice is not fair, denying that the matter was raised in talks with the French President.
President Aoun stressed that "we are facing changes and reconsideration of our consensual system after it was found that it is paralyzed and decisions cannot be taken quickly." He added, "There is no internationalization of the crisis. If we cannot govern ourselves, no one can rule us, and sovereignty will not be compromised. Lebanese in my era. " He pointed out that, in light of the talk about the establishment of a national unity government, "the appropriate atmosphere must be prepared for that, and we cannot call for a unity government to reach the division that we have witnessed in the governments."
The President of the Republic pointed out that the current interest is not limited to securing food and medical supplies to Beirut, but also to rebuilding them, and "we are working on a plan in this area so that the capital will return better than it was, and there is a possibility to take over the countries of reconstruction operations directly to specific neighborhoods of them."
President Aoun started the conversation by saying: “I know the Lebanese people, are angry at the explosion that took place at Beirut Port, but whoever gets angry will no longer know anyone, while our goal today is to reveal the truth to the people because public opinion has begun to change little by little, and it is going toward innocent people, not officials, and the truth can be shown only through an investigation that will designate the beginning of the officials, provided that other procedures are completed at a later stage. "
The President of the Republic added: “Whoever loses can be attributed only to the offender from the offender, the only thing we can do in our endeavor is to compensate for the material loss, but this is a consolation in war as in peace. Nobody can push me toward error, as no one can prevent us from revealing the facts. I wanted to say these words so that all the citizens who I am from will hear me, as I am not out of palaces, but from among the people, and I know every home and many Lebanese who North to south, and they know me and know that I do not retreat from any responsibility nor from taking the path to defend my homeland, which is the people. I offer them my sincere condolences, and the true consolation is the implementation of justice. And in front of this justice there will be no big or small that cannot be negotiated. That is, justice will not be as usual where the little ones get stuck and the bigger ones carry out.
President Aoun pointed out what a famous French writer said that the law, like spider webs, is violated by the big flies and the little ones are stuck in it. He said: "In this case, it will not be small or big, but the doors of all courts will be open to adults and children alike."
In response to a question, President Aoun endorsed the statement that the call for an international investigation into the port issue is aimed at losing the truth. He stressed that the judgment does not have any meaning if its issuance is prolonged, and the judiciary must be swift because the late justice is not fair but rather it must be immediate and also without haste to be sure who is a criminal and who is innocent.
The President of the Republic revealed that the responsibility for what happened is distributed in three stages, how the explosive materials entered the port, how they were placed, and how they were preserved for seven years, where several governments took turns, as well as a number of officials, and some wrote to the competent authorities in the port and those responsible for the issue and warned them of the seriousness of the issue. Of course there was a lack of awareness or negligence in carrying out the necessary actions.
He added: There are also two possibilities for what happened, either as a result of negligence or external interference by a missile or a bomb. I personally asked the French president to provide us with aerial photos if they were available to the French so that we can determine if there are aircraft in the air or missiles. And if these pictures are not available to the French, we will request them from other countries so that we can determine if there was an external aggression or if what happened was caused by negligence.
As for the reason that there are no arrests in this file yet for any of the former officials or ministers, President Aoun explained that it takes time and the investigation and procedures have started with twenty people, pointing out that no minister or any citizen can be arrested and imprisoned before the investigation, and when they arrive in the Investigations, then necessary measures will be taken against him.
In response to a question about the possibility of holding a prime minister accountable if his responsibility was proven in light of the existence of sectarian cover, and about investing in talking about Hezbollah’s responsibility, President Aoun clarified that the investigation did not show any of this, and it is done with those responsible for the port, and there is a report from a security agency The state is conducting an investigation on the basis of it and determining responsibility, stressing that the investigations have not reached any prime minister yet, and that there are direct officials who are currently being investigated.
Regarding the French President's presentation at his press conference of the international investigation, President Aoun may have been giving advice because the matter was not raised. In the matter of aid, he explained that the conversation with the French guest was addressed, but without specifying it. He said there are types of food aid, including medical and reconstruction aid. The first problem has been solved, but the construction problem remains. We are now studying this issue to be able to investigate it.
Journalists inquired about whether there was talk of changing a new international system or agreement. President Aoun replied: We are facing changes and a re-vision of our system based on mutual consent after it was found that it is paralyzed and decisions cannot be taken quickly, because it must pass through several authorities and be Consensus, and when the number of people increases, it is not possible to reach a consensus, and it is therefore rare to achieve any reform in such an atmosphere.
In response to a question about the possibility of internationalization, President Aoun stressed that there is no internationalization, so if we cannot govern ourselves, no one can govern us, and Lebanese sovereignty will not be affected during my era.
On what is said about his knowledge of storing explosive materials in the port, the President of the Republic stated that he had received a short time ago (on the twentieth of last July) information about the matter, and was instructed immediately to contact the Secretary General of the Supreme Defense Council and communicate with the concerned parties to take the necessary action.
And about the possibility of holding those responsible for the disaster accountable as a consolation for those who lost loved ones in the explosion, President Aoun stressed that there is no consolation that can compensate for the loss of a relative or a lover, and there may be a relative consolation for justice and its implementation, and no cover over anyone's head.
Regarding the blockade imposed on Lebanon about a year ago, and whether there are any efforts to open a skylight in this wall after the international aid that is continuing, he said: The explosion led to the lifting of the blockade, and I have received communications from leaders and effective heads of state from all over the world in solidarity with the Lebanese people And the readiness to provide assistance, which is what happened according to what we are seeing from the arrival of equipment, medical devices, food and other items, especially after the stock of medical equipment had reached the end because of the horror of the disaster and the huge number of wounded, which amounted to about 4 thousand.
In response to a question about the reason for his failure to give orders to remove the explosive materials after the report arrived, he replied: These materials entered Lebanon in 2013, I was not aware of them or the extent of their danger, and my powers do not allow me to take direct use of the port, and there is a hierarchy that must Respect her and she has to take responsibility, and I reported to take the necessary action, which is like an order.
Commenting on what a reporter said about the port is cloudy and not knowing what it contains and what is happening in it, President Aoun pointed out that all facilities and institutions, including the port and the Bank of Lebanon and the official departments, must be reconsidered, and "for this we are talking about a change in the system. And the accumulation of problems for nearly 30 years , Led to our current state. "
He was asked about investing a political group in angering the people and holding the current authority responsible for what happened, he replied: Some have crossed the limits of politeness, and one can make accusations, but it is not for him to take political revenge and exploit the economic and financial crisis, and the curse on us is due to our taking major reform measures that may affect accused people everyone knows and no one calls.
In response to a question about the possibility of political awareness after the disaster that struck Lebanon, the President of the Republic replied that there are people dreaming of reaching power by using all available means. Solidarity after a calamity has occurred in our traditions and conscience, and all hostilities and rivalries usually fall before him, but unfortunately, this beautiful solidarity is now being lost.
On the possibility of the arrival of international aid not related to medical and food materials, President Aoun confirmed the arrival of valuable aid soon, "And we are working on a plan to rebuild Beirut better than it was, and there is a possibility for countries to undertake direct reconstruction operations for specific neighborhoods, so the result will be faster." "
Concerning the ability to drop sectarian barriers in order to conduct the necessary accountability, President Aoun stressed that the difficulty lies in the failure to announce whoever stole from whom he stole, and the principles of justice and democracy cannot be overcome, so people are sufficient to direct the insults that have turned in Lebanon into the term freedom of expression"
In response to a question about the importance of forensic scrutiny, President Aoun pointed out that his importance lies in his ability to enter into the details of disbursing funds and how to dispose of them, and not only comparing incomes and expenses, which allows accounting to be conducted.
The President of Aoun was asked about the scene, which was reflected in the meeting of the heads of political and parliamentary parties, the invitation of the French President to sit at one table, while some of them were absent from the invitation made by the President of the Republic within the same framework, and can they return to meet the Lebanese presidential call, and he replied: The call for a new social contract came by the friend's boss, I hope that someone who heard gives an indication, especially since the issue was not specific and the demands are different for all parties who did not agree on a specific matter. But what I mentioned is essential, and we have to follow the indication that they might give.
When asked why the heads, MPs and ministers did not suspend their salaries and transfer them to people at this particular time, President Aoun pointed out that no one can be obligated to do so, especially when it comes to salaries, and whoever wishes to make donations, he will do so on his own initiative. In response to a question about the possibility of requesting President Macron to help bring the Lebanese to come out with a new decade, President Aoun reiterated that if the Lebanese people cannot govern themselves, no one can rule them or become a good people for democracy. Regarding the rumors about the government's resignation and the formation of a national unity government, President Aoun indicated that the appropriate atmosphere must be prepared for that, and we cannot call for a unity government to reach later on the division that we witnessed in the governments.