Lebanese President Joseph Aoun used a Christmas visit to the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkerke on Thursday to address both Lebanon’s security outlook and its electoral timetable, in remarks carried by local and regional media.
He said diplomatic contacts with foreign parties, including the United States, “have not stopped,” and have helped move the threat of a new war away from Lebanon. He added that talks over the situation on the southern front are ongoing and that developments are moving in a positive direction, although “the specter of war is still there.”
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Aoun stressed that parliamentary elections are a constitutional obligation and will be held on schedule. He said he, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam are jointly determined to conduct the vote on time and rejected any extension of the current parliament’s mandate.
In his televised comments, Aoun called on members of parliament to attend parliamentary sessions, agree on whatever electoral law they choose and ensure that elections are conducted with transparency and integrity.
The president also spoke of working toward what he described as a “new Lebanon,” based on state institutions and accountability. Referring to the situation in southern Lebanon, he mentioned a “wound bleeding in the south,” because of past and recent clashes, and expressed hope that Lebanon can reach a stage where wars end and peace prevails.