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Former President Michel Aoun’s interview on OTV on Wednesday was as baffling as it was absurd, leaving viewers astounded by his statements.
Michel Aoun went as far as to declare that “if he were in power today, he would have tendered his resignation, given the countless transgressions committed by the ruling class,” while claiming that he has never been a part of it. This is an aberration coming from a former head of State who saw an entire capital and its inhabitants blasted during his presidency, and who never considered taking this decision when he was residing in Baabda. This declaration is a blatant insult to the memory of the martyrs of the atrocious August 4, 2020, and to the pain of thousands of Lebanese people who will be commemorating the 3rd anniversary of that fateful day next month.
To make matters worse, Gebran Bassil’s father-in-law found it appropriate to appoint himself as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s mouthpiece. Indeed, the founder of the “Orange” Party felt it was primordial to reveal that Hafez el-Assad’s heir had entrusted him with the task of reporting that he did not support any candidate in the Lebanese presidential election. Aoun even stated that he was “friends with the Syrian Head of State,” whom he had “not seen for 15 years,” referring to his last visit to Damascus. This is quite a statement from the former head of the Lebanese army, who prided himself on his fierce opposition to the Syrian regime several decades ago. However, one thing remains certain: if Michel Aoun’s memory fails him, that of the Lebanese people remains and will remain intact.
Reflecting on the Lebanese presidential election, the former Aounist leader implicitly criticized his “ally” Hezbollah, without naming it. “We cannot engage in dialogue with those who absolutely want to impose the leader of the Marada party as president.” The founding father of the Free Patriotic Movement is obviously still upset that his son-in-law cannot gain access to the presidential palace. He must have also forgotten that he was responsible for the country’s political and institutional deadlock throughout his six-year term.
The ex-president also pointed out that “the Alvarez & Marsal audit condemns those who took possession of the preliminary report,” alluding to caretaker Finance Minister Youssef Khalil, Amal movement’s representative in the government. He also explained that “the idea of the audit had been unanimously approved by his cabinet,” but that “the Finance Minister at the time and current political advisor to Speaker Nabih Berry, Ali Hassan Khalil, later retracted his statement, claiming that the party he represented had not approved the audit, in order to protect the people targeted by the report.” The accusations made by Aoun were carefully thought of in order to harm Berry, his main political opponent.
