Aoun Vows to Make Army 'Strong Enough' to Defend Lebanon
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Wednesday pledged that the Lebanese army “will remain in our conscience until we make it strong enough to defend the land of the country,” on the eve of the 67th Army Day.
"We remember our martyrs who offered their blood to defend the sovereignty and independence of our country and our freedom ... They gave us hope in a real country and in a decent life," Aoun, a former army chief, said.
"To immortalize their memory, we must always seek to build the country for the sake of their children and families, and thus we would be honoring them through action, not only through speeches and the laying of wreaths,” Aoun added.
“We pride ourselves in the army and its achievements and heroism and we call on all the Lebanese to fully support it, because it is the only guarantor of the unity of Lebanon's land and people,” he went on to say.
Aoun has rejected the extension of the term of Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji out of keenness on “respecting the constitution,” while his critics have accused him of seeking the appointment of his son-in law, Commando Regiment chief Brig. Gen. Chamel Roukoz, as the new army chief.
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