A correspondent of Mehr News Agency conducted an interview with former Lebanese Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour regarding the Arab country’s presidential election and government formation.
A summary of the interview, including questions and responses from Lebanese officials, is below.
Q: How do you evaluate the feedback from foreign countries, especially Western governments and Persian Gulf countries, regarding the Lebanese presidential election? What do you think of Lebanon’s future role in the regional political game and US strategy?
A: Lebanon has always attracted the attention of foreign countries, especially the United States, Western Europe, and the Persian Gulf countries, and because of their strong ties with Lebanon, countries have always tried to facilitate the country’s presidential selection process. With a friendly and brotherly government.
Meanwhile, the Zionist invasion of Lebanon that began a year ago continues in various forms. After signing the armistice and the political vacuum that arose to reach a solution to elect a president in the country, the election of a president was finally carried out after mediation between Arab and non-Arab countries during the process of electing a president. .
Q: How do you assess the nature of the region’s new balance of payments following the fall of the regime of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad?
A: Lebanon is an inseparable part of the region from a security, political and economic perspective. Lebanon is not isolated from Western regional and policy developments aimed at strengthening its influence and privileges in the region and strengthening its economic, political, security and strategic interests. .
Lebanon has attracted the attention of the Western and Arab worlds, as Western and Arab attention to Lebanon is not new, but events in Syria have caused Western and Arab countries to lean towards Lebanon. There is no doubt that it happened. Lebanon to control the situation. Therefore, after a long period of stagnation and political vacuum in Lebanon, the Lebanese parliament finally elected Joseph Aoun as president.
Therefore, it can be said that regime change in Syria has a direct impact on the entire region and local governments, and many countries are trying to bring the situation under control. The relationship with Syria’s development is also in line with regional interests, and the situation in Lebanon is also part of this process.
Q: The election of Joseph Aoun as Lebanon’s president has reignited hopes among some Lebanese that U.S. sanctions on the Arab country will be lifted. Will this hope become reality?
A: There is no doubt that the election of Joseph Aoun as president after several years of absence has revived the hopes of many Lebanese people. Indeed, Lebanon has faced economic, livelihood and fiscal challenges since 2018, losing around 90 percent of its national currency value. Additionally, the presence of more than 2 million Syrian refugees places a huge burden on a small country like Lebanon. Under these circumstances, the selection of Joseph Aoun is important because he will be able to influence the process of rebuilding Lebanon in various areas, especially after the Zionist regime’s devastating war that caused billions of dollars of damage in Lebanon. This has raised the expectations of many Lebanese who believe that they can demonstrate their potential. country.
Q: Based on President Joseph Aoun’s speech at his inauguration ceremony, how do you evaluate President Aoun’s first cabinet?
A: Lebanon’s new government has a big mission, and it also has heavy responsibilities in the economic, political, livelihood, and cultural areas. They needed to rebuild the structure of government, something that was also emphasized in Joseph Aoun’s speech. At his inauguration, Aoun pointed out the sensitive issues that the Lebanese people are suffering from and said these issues must be resolved.
Naturally, this issue will be resolved through the unity, unity, friendship and cooperation of the Lebanese people. This burden does not rest solely on the president; it requires full coordination between the constitutional organs and the three branches of government, including the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
Lebanon must strengthen its diplomatic activities in the region at the regional, Arab and international levels and develop an active diplomacy.
–It can be said that the relationship between Lebanon and Syria will be fraught with many complications in the future. Will we see breakthroughs in this area, or will US and Israeli interests continue to create challenges between the two countries?
A: Lebanon is an integral part of the region and its security, peace and stability have implications for the region. Lebanon has historical, geographical, economic, and security ties with Syria, and given that the border of the occupied territories is closed to Lebanon, Lebanon’s only land border is with Syria. . Syria is therefore an important lifeline for Lebanese trade, and Lebanese exports that enter Arab countries such as Jordan and Iraq by land pass through Syria.
There are many issues that need to be resolved in the future. The issue of Syrian refugees must also be resolved. Because this problem imposes an intolerable burden on Lebanon. Security agreements between the two countries should also be seriously considered, and Lebanon’s borders should be closed to smugglers and elements that undermine the security of Syria and Lebanon.
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