Alain Aoun Says President Hasn't Changed His Stance on Hizbullah

MP Alain Aoun of the Strong Lebanon bloc stressed Tuesday that President Michel Aoun has not changed “his stance on Hizbullah,” describing reports claiming otherwise as “fictitious.”

“We've never severed our ties with the U.S. and we're not enemies of America,” MP Aoun told MTV when told that President Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil had given a warm welcome to U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale when they met with him on Monday, saying Aoun and Bassil had met with Hale in their capacity as state officials.

Asked about Hizbullah's hostility towards the U.S., the lawmaker said “they are free.”