Mashnouq: Aoun's Rhetoric in KSA Realistic and Responsible

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq stated that President Michel Aoun's rhetoric during his Gulf trip to Saudi Arabia and Qatar was “realistic and responsible,” he told LBCI TV station in an interview.

Masnouq hailed the outcome of Aoun's trip and said: “It was more than serious. For the first time, the Gulf people have heard some realistic and responsible words. Meaning, the President did not complain or convey unrealistic statements.”

For his part, “King Salman bin Abdul Aziz made some important and touching talk in the presence of President Aoun,” added Mashnouq.

Furthermore, “Aoun said he would guarantee that Hizbullah does not carry out any military operation inside Lebanon.”

Turning to the issue of Hizbullah's involvement in the war in Syria, the Minister said that Aoun has assured that Hizbullah's involvement in Syria does not come with the State's consent.

Aoun had noted in an interview with Al-Arabiya television 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.”

On the halted Saudi grant for the Lebanese army, Mashnouq said: “The aid program was halted for political reasons, its reactivation requires a political price. Aoun has vowed that he will shoulder the responsibility of (introducing) a new policy in Lebanon.”