| General Michel Aoun
addressed a 700-strong crowd of FPM activists and party officials. The
following are main excerpts of the address:
|
|
Today is a decisive moment that we meet with a smile and
with a heart full of peace and my message goes for all the Lebanese
people, those who support us and those who oppose us.
I would like to reply to a comment made by Samir Geagea by asking him
to read thoroughly the apostolic exhortation issued by Pope John Paul
II and mainly parts with the following titles: “the Islamic-Christian
dialogue, living together and solidarity, building society, and peace
and reconciliation.”
Remember who you are and who you represent. You are the ones who have
fought on your own a 15-year struggle to safeguard Lebanon’s freedom,
independence and sovereignty. And those who are in power today are the
same ones who oppressed you back then.
From now on, we will not allow any previous, current and past
collaborator in Lebanon to accuse us of foreign allegiances.
The current state and its power are built on a big lie and the promise
of the “Beirut Spring” that late Prime Minister Rafic Hariri promised
us in 1992 was never accomplished and |
will never be
accomplished by those people who actually burned “Beirut Spring”
instead of making it happen.
We cannot entrust those people with any reform plan when the reform
plan does not include the fight against corruption. The current plan
only benefits creditor banks and does not do any good for the people
and the productive sectors that need to be enhanced.
Corruption has plagued the very foundations and structure of the state
and any economic plan will be a failure in the absence of an
anti-corruption campaign. This is why it is mandatory to have a
financial auditing of the state finances.
I call on the schools and universities to participate in the general
strike because parents will eventually reach a point where they can no
longer afford to put their children through schools and colleges.
The building of the state also starts with a new electoral law that
guarantees true representation of the people because the current
electoral law sapped the foundations of democracy, represented by
parliament.
The resignation of the Shiite ministers from the government made the
latter lose its legitimacy and foreign support granted to the Siniora
government will not give it any legitimacy.
I am afraid Lebanon is being sold by bits and pieces.
We fully support an international tribunal in the Hariri assassination
but when major countries do not cooperate with the international
investigation, we wonder about the true intentions of such a move.
All those in power now will have a bad end because lies cannot last and
corruption cannot prevail.
Today is the chance to hold those people accountable for their deeds.
The truth is that they never cared for the needs of the people but only
for their own interests.
I told you in an address in 1997 that “Harirism”, which represents the
political and economic pattern implemented since 1992, is a hanging
cord that will swing you until you die. And it is swinging you now.
That is why I call on you to participate in the strike and be part of
the change.
Tuesday will be the first step in building a state where freedom,
security and prosperity for all will prevail. |
bravenet.com