Aoun 'Not in Favor' of Hizbullah's Syria Role, Says 'Competent Ministers' Discussing Saudi Military Grant
President Michel Aoun has announced that he is “not in favor” of Hizbullah's military intervention in neighboring Syria, while noting that the Saudi military grant is being discussed by the "competent ministers" of the two countries.
“We are preventing harm from being launched from Lebanon against any state and we're preventing the entry of terrorists from Syria into Lebanon and vice versa,” Aoun said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television that was recorded during his presence in Riyadh.
Noting that the decision by some Lebanese parties to take part in the Syrian war was not “the State's choice,” Aoun pointed out that he does not support this choice.
“As head of state, I do not have the right to side with anyone against anyone, because I represent all Lebanese,” the president added.
“Lebanese have various viewpoints on this issue and positive neutrality is the right stance,” Aoun went on to say.
He also stressed that the Syrian crisis “can only be resolved politically, seeing as global forces can fuel the war externally.”
Turning to Lebanon, the president underlined that he is against “any weapons used domestically.”
He also noted that Hizbullah's arsenal of arms “has become part of the Middle East crisis, which involves the U.S., Russia, Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.”
“This is a very major issue and it exceeds the Lebanese state's ability,” Aoun noted.
In another interview in Qatar with Al-Jazeera television, Aoun noted that the Saudi military grant for the Lebanese army is still “on the table” and that the issue is being discussed by the two countries' competent ministers.
“The issue has not been finalized yet due to the presence of some pending matters, seeing as the issue does not only concern Lebanon and the kingdom but also France,” Aoun added.
Asked about the government's quick approval of key decrees that pave the way for oil and gas extraction off Lebanon's coast, the president stressed that the swift passing of the decrees was not the result of a “deal” among the political parties.
“The approved points are exclusively related to the basins,” he noted.
Separately, Aoun said the upcoming parliamentary elections will be held according to a new electoral law.
“There is a Lebanese will to pass a new law and the debate is currently revolving around which law is the best for everyone,” the president added.
Turning to the region, Aoun noted that “what some thought to be an Arab Spring turned out to be an Arab hell.”
“I'm not against any white or red revolution, on the condition that it is internal, progressive and targeted at the future. It is unacceptable to return to the distant past... and the bloody events and reactionary ideologies cannot be a solution to the Arab problems,” Aoun explained.
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