Aoun: Return to foreign tutelage unacceptable for Lebanon

President Joseph Aoun asserted on Wednesday that Lebanon cannot function outside the established state framework, warning that any deviation is detrimental to the nation. "It is impossible to live outside the framework of the state, as experience has proven," Aoun declared, adding that "anything else is a sin" against the country. He stressed the indivisibility of Lebanon, stating, "An attack on any part of Lebanon means an attack on the entire country. No region can be separated from Lebanon as a whole."

“

It is impossible to live outside the framework of the state, as experience has proven. Anything else is a sin against the country.

Aoun detailed his objectives, which include halting attacks, ensuring Israel's withdrawal from Lebanese territory, facilitating the return of displaced persons and prisoners, and deploying the Lebanese army to the south with sole security responsibility. He also aims to oversee reconstruction efforts. "The goal is one, but the methods are different," he noted, reflecting on the futility of war, which he believes has yielded no results despite significant loss of life and material damage.

“

An attack on any part of Lebanon means an attack on the entire country. No region can be separated from Lebanon as a whole.

Contrary to media reports, Aoun affirmed his complete alignment with the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister regarding the goals of negotiations. He stated that the ongoing talks in Washington are intended to restore the state's authority, liberating the Lebanese people from subservience to any external power. "The goal of the negotiations in Washington is to restore the state's authority, so that the Lebanese people are no longer subservient to anyone, whether through a tutelary power or through someone negotiating on our behalf," Aoun explained.

“

The goal is one, but the methods are different. The experience of war did not lead us to our goal, and its final toll was nearly four thousand martyrs and billions of dollars in material losses, without achieving any results.

He unequivocally rejected any return to a past era of external control, regardless of its origin. "A return to the era of tutelages, regardless of their source, is unacceptable," he insisted. While welcoming international assistance, Aoun drew a clear distinction between aid and interference in Lebanon's internal affairs. "We welcome assistance from any country, but there is a significant difference between providing assistance and interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs for the benefit of any other country at the expense of Lebanese interests, which we will not tolerate," he underscored. The president concluded by reaffirming his commitment to pursuing negotiations until their end, emphasizing Lebanon's sovereignty and the inherent losses associated with conflict.

“

The goal of the negotiations in Washington is to restore the state's authority, so that the Lebanese people are no longer subservient to anyone, whether through a tutelary power or through someone negotiating on our behalf.