President Aoun Rejects Return to Era of External Control

President Joseph Aoun highlighted the responsibility of mayors and municipal councils to serve their villages and cities, expressing hope that conditions will soon allow for the implementation of administrative decentralization, which had been hindered by the war.

Addressing a delegation from the Keserwan-Ftouh district municipalities, President Aoun stated, "Lebanon's experience over 50 years of mismanagement, corruption, and successive wars cannot be resolved overnight. We are currently working to strengthen the state's role across various issues." He added that the purpose of the negotiations in Washington is to restore the state's presence so that Lebanese citizens are not subject to any external authority, whether through guardianship or negotiations conducted on their behalf. "We are the decision-makers; Lebanon is a sovereign state with its own identity and resources, and its people, who have historically contributed to the development of many countries, can now participate in rebuilding and advancing their own nation," he said.

He continued, "Returning to the era of tutelage is forbidden regardless of its form. While we welcome assistance from any country, there is a clear distinction between aid and interference in Lebanon's internal affairs for the benefit of any foreign state at the expense of Lebanese interests, which we do not accept. We appreciate support from many countries, ranging from the Gulf states to European nations and others, but our condition is that our internal matters are not exploited to serve the specific interests of these countries."

President Aoun concluded by affirming his commitment to the negotiations, stating, "I have made the decision to engage in the talks and will continue until the end because Lebanon is a founding member of the United Nations with its own identity and sovereignty. I am convinced that wars yield no results except shared losses."