“I firmly believe that he is the right leader for this moment”

Macron wishes Aoun “great success” in the fulfillment of his mission, which commits him at a historic and crucial moment

Jan. 10 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has congratulated the head of the Lebanese Army, Joseph Aoun, on his election by Parliament as the new president of Lebanon, highlighting that “an overwhelming majority of Parliament” voted in his favor and that he has his “trust”. “I firmly believe that he is the right leader for this moment,” he said.

He also emphasized that Aoun’s election took place “barely six weeks after the United States managed to end hostilities” between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah. Now Aoun “will exercise decisive leadership while “Lebanon and Israel fully implement that cessation of hostilities and hundreds of thousands of people return to their homes and Lebanon recovers and rebuilds.”

“For more than two years, the Lebanese people have suffered not only from a devastating war and an ongoing financial crisis, but also from the absence of national leadership. Now, through their elected parliamentarians, the people of Lebanon have exercised their democratic right to choose his own future. He has chosen a path aligned with peace, security, sovereignty and reconstruction, in partnership with the international community. And the United States will support him on that path,” he declared.

After publishing this statement, the White House reported that Biden had a phone call with Aoun to congratulate him on his election. “(Both) have agreed that now is the time to fully implement the cessation of hostilities announced on November 26, 2024, for Lebanon and its people to recover,” he said.

Biden has pledged to “continue to support the Lebanese security forces and the country’s recovery and reconstruction, as Aoun works with the United States and Lebanon’s true friends in the international community to make Lebanon safe, sovereign and prosperous again.” “.

For his part, the Secretary of the United States Department of State, Antony Blinken, has congratulated the Lebanese people for the election of Aoun: “This is a moment of historic opportunity, as Lebanon works to fulfill the commitments made within the framework of the cease hostilities and establish lasting peace and stability for the Lebanese people.

“It is also an opportunity to promote fundamental reforms, restore government functions and strengthen institutions to rebuild a strong, stable and prosperous Lebanon,” said the head of US diplomacy in a statement.

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has also joined in the words of congratulations towards Aoun, whom he has “wished much success in fulfilling his mission, which commits him at a historic and crucial moment for the future” of the country. “This is a new page for the Lebanese people. For the Lebanese and partners and friends of Lebanon, who have worked together for years, it is a source of hope,” he expressed.

“France has mobilized strongly to get (Lebanon) out of the institutional vacuum, through the good offices mission led since June 2023 by the president’s personal representative, Jean Yves Le Drian,” the Elysée indicated in a statement. statement in which he indicated that the French head of state has agreed to “visit Lebanon very soon.”

Macron conveyed in a telephone call to Aoun that “France would support his efforts to quickly complete the formation of a government capable of uniting the Lebanese, responding to their aspirations and needs and carrying out the reforms necessary for economic recovery, reconstruction , stability, security and sovereignty of Lebanon”, supporting the national dialogue that “the president will lead to this end.”

In this sense, he recalled the need for the ceasefire to be correctly applied: “France is firmly committed in this regard, within the framework of the surveillance mechanism.” In this regard, Macron has reiterated Paris’ commitment to providing support to the Lebanese Armed Forces both at the national level and within the framework of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Aoun has been elected as the new Lebanese president after more than two years of vacuum in office following the end of Michel Aoun’s mandate – with no family relationship with the new president – and amid complaints about a possible violation of the Constitution by find the chosen one still at the head of the Armed Forces.

Thus, several parliamentarians have expressed harsh criticism of the situation during the parliamentary session and have stated that it represents a violation of the Magna Carta, which should be amended so that Aoun can take office, since it currently prevents the election as president of any person who has held a position of responsibility during the previous two years.

The vote has gone ahead after twelve failed attempts due to the legislative blockade between the blocs led by Hezbollah and its opponents, which has finally been broken in the midst of the ceasefire agreed at the end of November with Israel and in the face of international pressure to put end to the vacuum in the Presidency, considered key to getting the country out of the deep economic and social crisis in which it has found itself for years.