Lebanese President Michel Aoun told UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Jan Kubis on Wednesday that the Zionist entity has been going ahead with its violations of the Lebanese sovereignty.
In a meeting at Baabda Palace, President Aoun said that Lebanon “is well aware of the importance of maintaining calm on the Blue Line Southern border.”
“Lebanon considers that the continuous Israeli violations, by air and land of Lebanese sovereignty, are a violation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which Lebanon is committed to implementing,” the Lebanese president was quoted as saying by National News Agency (NNA).
Aoun reiterated Lebanon determination to maintain calm at the southern borders, in cooperation between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL forces.
Touching upon the economic crisis, the President said that the crisis has many causes, but asserted that prominent cause “is the intensity of Syrian displacement to Lebanese territories, and what Lebanon has provided for this sponsorship, which the International Monetary Fund has estimated in 2018, to be 25 Billion US Dollars of losses due to closure of Lebanese-Syrian borders and suspension of export”.
“In addition to an amount of 18 Billion Dollars, which equals a total of 43 Billion US Dollars, in addition to other indirect losses” the President added.
Moreover, President Aoun considered that international assistance should meet the level of the damage inflicted on Lebanon since the outbreak of the Syrian war, until today.
“It is not permissible for Lebanon to continue in bearing the consequences of this war in a way that has exhausted all its sectors”.
The President also pointed out that the economic plan which was laid down by the Cabinet and discussed during the National meeting, at Baabda, is now subject to discussion with the IMF, hoping to be implemented gradually.
“It is not logical to implement it (plan) in one go, but the important issue is that fundamental reforms have begun aiming to find solutions, to the problems we are witnessing”.
For his part, Mr. Kubis briefed the President on deliberations which took place last week during the UN Security Council discussion of the report prepared by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on the stages of implementation of resolution 1701, and the interest shown by member countries of the Lebanon Support Group, to endorse the economic plan, and the implications of Syrian displacement to Lebanon.
Kubis also affirmed that the Security Council member states are still supporting the work of UNIFIL in South Lebanon, aiming to fully implement Resolution 1701.
Source: NNA (edited by Al-Manar Eglish Website)
