President Joseph Aoun before the Maronite League delegation:
- The visit by the Syrian Foreign Minister to Lebanon today dispels the fears of some Lebanese regarding the Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s intention to intervene in Lebanon, and the visit confirms the falsehood of what has been rumored, especially since its aim is to establish sound relations between the two countries based on mutual respect and non-interference in each other’s affairs.
- The Syrian delegation emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation being conducted through constitutional institutions, that is, between state and state, not through or with any faction, or on the basis of interference in Lebanese affairs.
- What the framework formula stipulates does not conflict with Lebanese rights and constants; rather, it seeks to fully guarantee them, especially since negotiation is considered the safest and least costly option for Lebanon after the losses it has suffered in lives and property.
- The concept of sovereignty includes the state’s sovereignty in its decision-making, which has decided to proceed with negotiations to reclaim its rights and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from its lands, and negotiations are not betrayal, but rather bloodless diplomatic warfare that does not squander lives in vain.
- Whoever respects the principle of sovereignty must respect the state’s decision in this context.
- Lebanon’s interest in this critical phase is not to squander American support for reaching a solution as per the framework formula, in addition to the positions of the European Union and supportive Gulf states.
- It is time for Lebanon to emerge from the era of wars and tutelages, and the majority of Lebanese support this path, especially our people in the south who deserve to live with dignity and security.
- We will not relinquish a single inch of Lebanese land, and let judgment be passed on us through implementation, for the goals we have set before our eyes do not differ from the goals of all Lebanese without exception.
- I commend the tremendous effort exerted by the Lebanese negotiating delegation, both civilian and military, in the American capital.
President of the Maronite League, Maroun Hallaq:
- The current phase calls for rallying around the state, its army, and its constitutional institutions, and supporting every national effort aimed at consolidating full sovereignty and monopolizing the decision of peace and war in the hands of the state alone.
- We renew our support for His Excellency the President and place our trust in him as a unifying national position and guarantor of the interests of the Lebanese people and the management of state affairs and negotiations in accordance with what the constitution stipulates, far from any external pressures or dictates, as some like to hurl accusations indiscriminately.
: Lebanese Presidency