Aoun Urges Conflict-Free Harmonious Government, Warns against Exploiting Protests
President Michel Aoun on Thursday said the country's next cabinet should include ministers picked on skills, not political affiliation, seemingly endorsing the demand by a two-week-old protest movement for a technocratic government.
"Ministers should be selected based on their qualifications and experience, not their political loyalties," Aoun said in a televised speech on the third anniversary of his presidency.
It came after Prime Minster Saad Hariri Tuesday submitted the resignation of his cabinet.
“Lebanon is in dire need of a harmonious government that can be productive without political conflicts,” Aoun urged.
“Moving from the current sectarian system to a civil state would rescue Lebanon from the problems of sectarianism,” he added.
The president also warned that “exploiting street protests to pit citizens against each other is the most dangerous thing that can threaten the country's unity and civil peace.”
Cautioning that the country is at a "dangerous crossroads," Aoun called on the next government to "fulfill the ambitions of the Lebanese" and to "achieve what the previous government did not, by restoring the people's confidence in the state."
But he did not offer any concrete proposals or make any concessions to the protesters, who went back to chanting and playing protest songs after the speech ended.
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31 October 2019, 20:52
Aoun: Exploiting street protests to pit citizens against each other is the most dangerous thing that can threaten the country's unity and civil peace.
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31 October 2019, 20:49
Aoun: Moving from the current sectarian system to a civil state would rescue Lebanon from the problems of sectarianism.
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31 October 2019, 20:44
Aoun: Ministers must be chosen according to their competency and Lebanon is in dire need of a harmonious government that can be productive without political conflicts.
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31 October 2019, 20:40
Aoun: I exerted major efforts to find economic solutions but they have not yielded the desired results yet, seeing as the national economic plan is still awaiting approval and the infrastructure projects whose funding will come from the CEDRE conference are frozen, but they should move forward after the resigned government responded to most of the conditions.
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31 October 2019, 20:32
Aoun: I sought to achieve political stability and the first achievement was the electoral law.
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31 October 2019, 20:32
Aoun: I have committed myself to the issue of returning Syrian refugees to their country and the priority was security.
31 October 2019, 20:31
08
الله يحميه
بي الكل
A fearless man - A real leader - A true statesman.
31 October 2019, 21:10
06
How pathetic. Not a word on the real causes of our economic problems, Hizbollah arms, and lost democracy and freedom. Iraq president just declared today the need to allow no arms except with the army, and our president is still blind. He looked like a mommy reading a handout from Hizbollah. He and Hizb are planning a trap for the Lebanese army. As the Basij brutally suppressed the Iranian Green Revolution in 2010, these same Basij in Lebanon, with their FPM marionettes, will trap the army to confront the demonstrators using all king of ruses and excuses. Let us keep the watch and track which politician is guilty of complicity so we’ll bring to trial once the revolution is successful. There is no doubt it will be successful! Time for every politician to make his choice!
31 October 2019, 20:44
05
Everybody should send him a pair of pajamas maybe he will get the message...
31 October 2019, 20:45
07
Never has Lebanon known or seen a president as eloquent as this one, ever!
31 October 2019, 20:51
07
His achievements or lack of speak for themselves! Shameless indeed....
31 October 2019, 20:53
03
"Aoun: Ministers must be chosen according to their competency and Lebanon is in dire need of a harmonious government that can be productive without political conflicts."
Where does that leave Basil-- Minister of misinformation?
31 October 2019, 20:58
04
The most dangerous thing is that you, imbasil and nasrallah remain in power
31 October 2019, 21:15
03
If the speech in Arabic is as Naharnet translated it than he is keeping the door open to politicians in the next cabinet, 'as long as they are qualified'...
What an idiot, he doesn't see that this protest will not go anywhere.
31 October 2019, 23:46
05
It boggles the mind, same as in the late 1980s, how he keeps refusing to take any responsibility whatsoever for what happened on his watch. Moreover who are his incompetent handlers they couldn't even fake a pretend live speech.
01 November 2019, 03:13
03
Aoun: Moving from the current sectarian system to a civil state would rescue Lebanon from the problems of sectarianism.
Isn't he the one always barking about Christian 'rights'?
01 November 2019, 14:33
03
"the problems of sectarianism" can be easily solved Hezbollah style:
لا زال مشروع الدولة الإسلامية قائماً. إقامة دولة إسلامية لا تتعارض لا مع المسيحية* ولا مع اليهودية، لأن المسيحية واليهودية كدين لا يتصديان للحياة السياسية، هما يتصديان للحياة الدينية، والإسلام يحفظ لهما حياتهما الدينية بشكل كامل لأنهما أهل كتاب ويمكنهما ان يمارسا طقوسهما الدينية كما يريدان
Al Mayadeen TV - November 29, 2018 - الشيخ نعيم قاسم
Well at least he'll let us pray the way we want, how magnanimous of him.
*إقامة دولة إسلامية لا تتعارض لا مع المسيحية (this should be for us to decide ya hajj not you or your fakih :S )
