Lebanon’s Aoun refuses to resign

Baabda- Lebanon

Following his meeting with PM Designate Najib Mikati, President Michel Aoun reiterated that he should be considered as a partner in the formation of the government and has the right to chose the candidates .

The Lebanese people were expecting today an announcement about the new government that will be formed by Mikati but as in the past meeting Aoun reportedly presented obstacles that prevented the formation of the cabinet .

Mikati talked to the media at the end of the meeting and reiterated that the time to form the cabinet is not open-ended and that the country is in urgent need to have a government .

Responding to a reporter’s question, Mikati said: “The chances of forming a government are higher than those of stepping down. There is no specific deadline but the time frame is not open-ended.”

“I will not resign and I will perform my duties until the end,” the President emphasized on Monday.

“I hope that the phase of rebuilding Lebanon psychologically and materially will start with me before being complete by the new president,” Aoun went on to say after being the witness to the complete destruction of Lebanon’s economy during his rein .

He added: “We hope to be able to curb the crisis through the formation of a new government in the next few days ”

Aoun also said that the new government would start “structural reforms and negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to rebuild Lebanon ”

Following the fuel tank explosion in Akkar yesterday Former Lebanese PM Saad Hariri urged Aoun to resign.

Former prime minister Saad Hariri drew a link between the tragic Akkar and Beirut explosions in a statement shared on Twitter.

“The Akkar massacre is not different from the port massacre,” Hariri said, in reference to the Aug 4 , 2020 Beirut Port explosion that destroyed a huge section of Beirut, killed 218 people wounded 7000 and left 300, 000. homeless

“If this was a country that respects its people, its officials would resign, from the president to the very last person responsible for this neglect,” he added.

“Enough is enough. The lives of the Lebanese and their security is the top priority,” Hariri stressed.