Lebanese Armed Forces Commander, General Joseph Aoun, on Tuesday held a meeting in Yarzeh with the command’s staff and the commanders of major units and regiments, during which he provided them with the necessary instructions and measures to preserve security throughout parliamentary elections and ensure their successful completion.
“The Army is operationally ready for this task and stands at same distance from everyone, and what concerns it the most is the successful and democratic completion of the electoral process,” Aoun said in reply to campaigns targeting the military establishment in terms of keeping pace with preparations underway for the elections.
“The army adheres to its neutrality and does not stand by any party against another, but rather intervenes when there is a problem or friction to prevent the aggravation of the situation,” the Army Commander added.
He called on the parties concerned with elections to assume national responsibility and cooperate with the military establishment to achieve this deadline calmly and democratically.
As for Tripoli’s ill-fated boat incident, Aoun affirmed that “the army is continuing its search and has communicated with a number of friendly countries to help retrieve the boat.”
“The army has performed its duty and has been dealing with this issue with full transparency; it has also opened an investigation into the incident,” Aoun explained, deploring “the campaign of accusations and incitement that the army was subjected to following the incident” and its “exploitation for electoral purposes.”
Source: NNA
