Suleiman in Farewell Speech: Liberation Partial without Complete Sovereignty

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  • W460
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President Michel Suleiman stressed on Saturday that it's time to establish a national defense strategy as a natural way to build the nation, warning of the presidential vacuum that threatens the political order in the country.

“On the occasion of the Resistance and Liberation Day I urge the rival parties to establish a defense strategy to build the state and develop the democratic system,” Suleiman said in his farewell speech at the Baabda Palace.

He pointed out that “liberation remains partial if the state's sovereignty wasn't complete.”

Lebanon marks on May 25 the occasion of the Resistance and Liberation day that commemorates the Israeli army’s withdrawal from the south in May 2000.

The outgoing president said at the end of his six-year term that the “Baabda Declaration was praised by the international community as it is the only way to dissociate Lebanon from the neighboring conflicts.”

The Baabda Declaration was approved unanimously during a national dialogue session in June 2012.

It calls for Lebanon to adopt a policy of disassociation from regional developments.

“What brings us together is far more important than what divides us,” Suleiman said in his speech that addressed more than 450 political and diplomatic figures.

He noted that “the rift was caused by foreign interferences.”

“Dialogue is the only way to resolve our dilemmas as we don't live in an isolated canton,” Suleiman added.

“Our national unity is a priority and should prevent us from interfering in our neighboring countries.”

Hizbullah has sent members to Syria to fight alongside troops loyal to President Bashar Assad against rebels seeking to topple him.

Sunni fighters generally from northern Lebanon have also went to the neighboring country to help the rebels.

“At the beginning of my tenure, we carried out diplomatic ties with Syria, which translates the special ties between the two countries,” Suleiman noted, adding that “strengthening ties between Lebanon and Syria requires reconsidering the treaties between the two countries.”

He considered that “the Baabda Declaration guarantees stability and dissociating Lebanon from the negative impact caused by the Syrian conflict.”

The outgoing president hailed the achievements accomplished by the army and security agencies.

Suleiman described the Saudi grant to the army as a “historical” deal that aims at strengthening the chances to build a “capable state.”

In December, the president had revealed that Saudi Arabia has decided to donate three billion dollars with the aim of purchasing French weapons for the Lebanese army as soon as possible.

Concerning the presidential deadlock at the end of his term, Suleiman expressed fear that “vacuum threatens the political order especially, if it was intentional due to divisions or hidden intentions.”

He called on ministers to cooperate with Prime Minister Tammam Salam “until a new head of state is elected.”

“The new president will face the same obstacles, which require resolving the gaps that are obstructing the system.”

The parliament failed anew on Thursday to elect a president in a fifth session of its kind, raising fears that the vacuum in the country's top Christian post would affect Lebanon's power-sharing agreement under which the president should be a Maronite, the premier a Sunni and the speaker a Shiite.

Suleiman called on legislators to “elect a new head of state without any further delay.”

He revealed that he will “ink a decree that calls on the parliament to hold extraordinary sessions to discuss a new electoral law.”

On his message to the parliament, Suleiman said that it “reflects the will of the people,” expressing hope that lawmakers would abide by it.

The Christian parties' plan to boycott legislative sessions comes after parliament failed to elect a new president Thursday in the fifth round of the polls that was seen as a last-ditch effort to pick a new head of state before the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's six-year term on Sunday.

The president's message was a plea to resolve the presidential deadlock.

At the end of his speech, Suleiman thanked those who believed and cooperated with him, calling on the youth to form nonsectarian groups and engage in establishing a civil state.

The country went for months without a president before Suleiman, a former army commander, was elected in 2008.

A two-thirds quorum, or 85 of the legislature's 128 members, is required for an electoral session to elect the president.

The elections are also influenced by international and regional actors backing rival factions, and presidents are elected only after securing the necessary regional support and consensus among the political camps.

H.K.

D.A.

Timeline
  • 24 May 2014, 12:34

    Suleiman called on ministers to cooperate with the premier until a new head of state is elected.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:33

    Suleiman: I will ink a decree that calls on the parliament to hold an extraordinary session.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:32

    Suleiman thanked those who cooperated with him during his term and believed in the state.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:31

    Suleiman called on the youth to form nonsectarian groups and engage in establishing a civil state.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:28

    Suleiman: The new president will face the same obstacles, which requires resolving the gaps that are obstructing the system.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:26

    Suleiman: Suggestions should be made regarding the president's right to form a new cabinet and signing government decrees.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:25

    Suleiman: Lebanon should be able to extract for its oil wealth.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:23

    Suleiman: The presidential vacuum threatens the political order, especially, if it was intentional due to divisions or hidden intentions.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:22

    Suleiman: My message to the parliament reflects the will of the people. I hope that lawmakers would abide by it.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:21

    Suleiman: The Saudi grant to the army is historical and strengthens the chances to build a capable state.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:21

    Suleiman: The parliament should carry out the presidential elections without any delay.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:17

    Suleiman: Agreeing on a national defense strategy should be the core of the national dialogue sessions.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:16

    Suleiman on the occasion of the Resistance and the Liberation Day: It's time to establish a national defense strategy to build the state as liberation remains incomplete if the state's sovereignty wasn't achieved.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:14

    Suleiman called for the implementation of the decision agreed upon during the national dialogue sessions.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:13

    Suleiman: The Baabda Declaration was welcomed by the international community and it guarantees stability and dissociating Lebanon from the negative impact caused by the Syrian conflict.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:12

    Suleiman: Safeguarding stability maintained growth as we vowed to return Lebanon to its special rank.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:11

    Suleiman: Strengthening ties between Lebanon and Syria requires reconsidering the treaties between the two countries.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:10

    Suleiman: At the beginning of my tenure, we carried out diplomatic ties with Syria, which translates the special ties between the two countries.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:09

    Suleiman: The army achieved significant accomplishments concerning fighting terrorism and busting spy cells.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:08

    Suleiman: I worked on the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, the funding of the STL and cooperating with it and the formation of PM Tammam Salam's cabinet.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:07

    Suleiman: Dialogue is the only way to resolve dilemmas as we don't live in an isolated environment.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:06

    Suleiman: Our national unity is a priority and should prevent us from interfering in our neighboring countries.

  • 24 May 2014, 12:06

    Suleiman: What gathers us is far more important than what divides us. The rift was caused by foreign interference.

Comments 26
Missing nuetral 24 May 2014, 12:29

Thank you Mr. President, vaya con dios.

Default-user-icon Hanoun (Guest) 24 May 2014, 12:43

bye bye

Missing peace 24 May 2014, 12:46

"STL funding": your allies were ok with that, so cut your hypocrisy...

"not a good president": sure since the day he talked against your iranian militia he became not good but before he was... again stop your hypocrisy...

all you can do is whine but propose anything? M8 is incapable of it... their job is just to criticize to appear smarter... LOL

Default-user-icon Hanoun (Guest) 24 May 2014, 12:56

calling for amending the constitution and give more power to the presidency
why didn't you do this on your term ????

Default-user-icon Hanoun (Guest) 24 May 2014, 13:17

popular vote is the only way to have 100% made in Lebanon president and on time always

Thumb geha 24 May 2014, 14:02

A President.

Missing phillipo 24 May 2014, 14:31

Maybe as an outsider I shouldn't be saying this, but I think it is irresponsible of the President to leave his office and leave Lebanon in a vacuum, before his successor is elected.

Thumb -phoenix1 24 May 2014, 15:06

Thank you Mr. President, you are an honorable man, you are respected and held in high esteem. I am one of the many who'd wished you stayed, but as a real man of dignity, you showed them all what it is to have the guts to say NO when a man needs to say it, and to prove them all, you're not clinging to that seat, unlike that old furniture fixture of Rabieh who is hiccuping with every single breath he takes for this seat. God bless you Sir, forever you will remain in our hearts.

Thumb Abubakr 24 May 2014, 15:26

Hezbollah fights Israel in the media yet on the ground accomplishing its dark agenda, look at how they are advertising for Nouri al maliki on the airport highway, I wish they put a picture of him with Bush, or at the American congress, or with th head of c.I.a, wil ni3am 3a hek moumena3a

Missing helicopter 24 May 2014, 16:24

The President said: “liberation remains partial if the state's sovereignty wasn't complete.”..............
He was being careful not to say it in a more direct way.
What he really wished he could say was “liberation is a FARCE since it liberated the land from the Jewish State to give it to the FARSI State”

Thumb habib 24 May 2014, 16:37

Alla ye7mik

Missing castro 24 May 2014, 17:51

Zandiq Ghdanfar: Please spare us your input; really not required. we already have another Local Zandiq Ghadanfar already doing that.

Thumb chrisrushlau 24 May 2014, 17:57

At the end of his speech, Suleiman thanked those who believed and cooperated with him, calling on the youth to form nonsectarian groups and engage in establishing a civil state.

Missing Ghazanfar 24 May 2014, 19:52

A civil state with an Islamic "Resistance", cute.

Thumb cedre 24 May 2014, 18:03

Il part la tête haute...

Thumb -phoenix1 24 May 2014, 20:35

Alors la mon cher Cedre tu peus le dire a voix haute.

Thumb Abubakr 24 May 2014, 18:13

The ultimate figures for our governmental posts according to m8 would be Emile rahmeh as president and osama saad as prime minister, and goodbye lebanon forever because the reparations would take centuries.

Thumb general_puppet 24 May 2014, 19:42

parraeels, when will Lebanon be free of the Iranian militia's occupation?

Thumb general_puppet 24 May 2014, 20:05

Southern., cut the BS your President is Hassan Rouhani

Thumb -phoenix1 24 May 2014, 20:37

GP, Suleiman has today shown what real men are, as opposed to cry babies hiding behind fortresses or still underground. I will not say it beyond such words, lest the imagination takes it further. One of Suleiman's shoes is worth them all.

Thumb general_puppet 24 May 2014, 20:56

I agree with you 100% Phoenix, Suleiman declared for Lebanon when he was needed most... a lesser President would have remained silent, he knew he would be attacked and in possible danger but he stood up.

Missing karim. 24 May 2014, 22:07

If you love the Saudis so much, move there and apply for citizenship. Saudi Arabia has terrorized Lebanon for years and should be brought to justice for it.

Missing peace 24 May 2014, 22:10

"Saudi Arabia has terrorized Lebanon for years"

really? LOL

Missing karim. 25 May 2014, 00:33

Yes, really. Have you ever heard of the PLO? Ever wondered who was funding them?

Thumb general_puppet 24 May 2014, 23:13

Acid is your thing MR. FlimFlam.

Thumb EagleDawn 25 May 2014, 08:12

it is written all over you, flamethrower