Aoun Says to Seek Constitutional Amendments to 'Declare Lebanon a Civil State'
President Michel Aoun on Sunday called for declaring Lebanon a “civil state,” in an address to the nation marking 100 years since the declaration of Greater Lebanon.
The State of Greater Lebanon was a state declared on 1 September 1920, which became the Lebanese Republic in May 1926, and is the predecessor of modern Lebanon.
“I call for declaring Lebanon a civil state and I pledge to call for dialogue gathering spiritual and political leaders to reach a format accepted by everyone, which would be translated through the appropriate constitutional amendments,” Aoun said.
“There is a need to improve, amend and change the Lebanese system. Lebanon needs a new approach in running its affairs that would be based on citizenry and the state’s civil nature,” he added.
“The current sectarian system is no longer valid and has become an obstacle in the way of any progress or reform,” the president pointed out.
He said that the time has come for seeking “a new formula or a new agreement” for the country.
“The Taef Accord has points of strength as well as points of weakness that appear at every juncture,” Aoun noted.
Speaking in a TV interview that followed the televised address, the president said “gas exists” in offshore block number 4.
“The political circumstances that led to halting its extraction will soon become known,” he added.
Source: Naharnet
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