Bassil: We will not be partners in any failure equation in the country because we have endured a lot
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NNA ndash; Former President Michel Aoun referred Sunday to the long path of struggle that he had taken along with those who supported and fought along his side, all for the sake of preserving and building the nation, and not for the sake of reaching power.
He added: ldquo;We are facing people whose goal is to gain power in order to steal, while we are fighting to build a nation, to give it and not take from it.rdquo;
ldquo;We directed you to the thieves, and they are major figures in the state…Some of them steal and others protect them…Unfortunately, these are the heads of the state, the state of Lebanon,rdquo; Aoun underlined regretfully.
His words came during his tour in the Akkar region on Sunday, accompanied by Free Patriotic Movement Chief, MP Gebran Bassil, and MPs Jimmy Jabour and Assad Dergham, and a number of movement officials.
During their first stop in the town of Rahbeh, Aoun said he came to remember and pay tribute to the heroic martyrs who fell in the wars that raised the pride of Lebanon and the Lebanese, and preserved their dignity.
Addressing the people of the town of Shadra, his second stop-over, Aoun said: ldquo;I know you through your heroes who fought with me and were my brothers. The engraved martyrdom list that indicates your heroism and your fight is sufficient to preserve the pride and perpetuation of Lebanon…We honored our martyrs and prayed for them as they became dust, and today I have come to pray with you for their souls that have risen to Heaven…rdquo;
He added: ldquo;I know Shadra, the town near the border and connected to the heart of Lebanon, along with its people, and in times of adversity we always find its people with us.rdquo;
In the Church of Saint Fatima in Andaqet, President Aoun also assured townsmen that he knows them well through the heroes from their town who fought with him, some who fell as martyrs and some who remained alive and supported his battle for the pride and dignity of Lebanon.
ldquo;There were circumstances in which we fought for Lebanon. We were expelled, but we returned and Lebanon was liberated and sovereignty and freedom were restored,rdquo; Aoun went on. He stressed that ldquo;the state of freedom we are living in must not be lost.rdquo;
At the final stop-over in the town of Qobayat, a popular meeting was held in the silk factory, where a warm welcoming speech was delivered by journalist Ghassan Saud.
Addressing the attendees, MP Bassil, in turn, hailed the sacrifices made by the people of Akkar, despite the long years of deprivation and injustice that they have suffered.
ldquo;We will not be partners in any equation of failure in the country, because we have endured a lot, and the movement is not defeated as long as it has an incubating human environment like Akkar,rdquo; Bassil stressed, praising the valuable contributions of Akkarrsquo;s citizens to the movement and to the entire nation.
He considered that the injustice inflicted on this region cannot be removed with words, urging the people of Akkar not to believe promises of projects in absentia, for there are no more funds…He said: ldquo;Believe only when administrative decentralization and the trust fund are approved,rdquo; adding, ldquo;With decentralization, the tax that the people of Akkar pay goes to the trust fund, and thus you have your own fund under the supervision of the a judicial council that you elect, and likewise your representatives help you by approving projects in said judicial council…rdquo;
ldquo;As for major projects, there is no hope for them without the fund,rdquo; Bassil reiterated.
Touching on the subject of dialogue, Bassil emphasized that ldquo;the program is the basis and the most prominent example is the issue of the displaced. We have the right to know what the position of the next president will be on the displaced file, if he wants to confront to ensure the return of the displaced or yield to pressure from an ambassador asking him to stop. We have the right to obtain guarantees. In 2011, we lived with the Prime Minister the first wave of displacement, and today we are living with him, the second wave of displacement, and the same applies to the President of the Republic….We are facing people who open the borders for Syrians to enter and prevent their exit, so do we bring any of them in as president?!rdquo;
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========R.Sh.