President Aoun: I will not give up the South... And this is what I will ask of Trump!

President of the Republic Joseph Aoun stressed that "the army and the state are the ones capable of protecting the Lebanese, not the parties, nor sectarianism and confessionalism, and this is what we have experienced since 1975 until today."

He said before a delegation from the board of directors of the World Association: "The hidden Imam, Sayyed Musa al-Sadr, was the first to stand against the violation of the South for non-Lebanese issues," adding: "The Southerners are tired and deserve to live in safety and stability, instead of watching their properties and lands destroyed every now and then, and their children being martyred. So why must Lebanon and the South always pay the price?"

President Aoun pointed out that "the objective goals that all Lebanese agree on: withdrawal, the return of the displaced, the return of prisoners and remains, and reconstruction, and this path must be tried after the path of war has failed."

He continued: "Based on my responsibilities as President of the Republic of all Lebanon, I affirm that I will not give up the South or Lebanon's rights. Therefore, there is an emphasis on Israel's withdrawal from all Lebanese territories and its signing that it has no ambitions in Lebanon."

He added: "I will ask US President Donald Trump to exert the necessary pressure on Israel to implement what was agreed upon in the 'framework formula' and the Lebanese demands, and to currently benefit from the US administration's desire to achieve peace in the region, and to strengthen Lebanon's position in this regard."