30-Year of Political & Economic Issues Can’t Be Resolved Overnight: President Aoun

In an interview with Sputnik, President Aoun called on Lebanese citizens to closely observe further developments.

“I hope that all the Lebanese officials and political parties have learned well that the Lebanese people lost their temper because of the corruption, job losses and because government funds had been looted for many years,” the Lebanese president said.

“I understand that people want fast and tangible changes, but the consequences of the past 30 years will not be addressed overnight. In the past, I have called on them [the nation] to monitor developments closely, and now I am urging them to do it again”, he underlined.

Meanwhile, President Aoun noted that it is impossible to expect “miracles” from a government that’s been in existence less than 100 years, as Lebanon only became independent in the 1940s.

However, he stressed that the government is fully determined to implement recently announced economic reforms aimed at tackling the deepening financial crisis, expressing hope that this step would help Lebanon recover.

“I fear that some political parties, who resent the serious work carried out by the government will use the anger of the streets to fuel protests. In any case, we will not allow the security situation to collapse and will preserve the freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly [in the country]”, the president said in the interview.