President Fouad Siniora confirmed in an interview with Al-Arabiya Al-Hadath channel that the martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, on the twenty-first anniversary of his assassination, “is increasingly present in the consciences and consciences of the Lebanese and Arabs in his absence,” considering that the period following the assassination showed the extent of the exceptional role that Hariri played in his love for Lebanon, his belief in its Arab identity, and his constant endeavor to restore a sovereign, free and independent state, despite all the difficulties, wars and challenges.
Siniora pointed to the pivotal role played by the martyr president, along with the late Prince Saud Al-Faisal, in making the Taif Agreement a success and ending the Lebanese war, then putting Lebanon on the path to recovery and restoring its internal unity, in addition to launching national, economic and urban renaissance projects and enhancing political and security stability.
He explained that Hariri assumed the presidency of the government during a very difficult period, following long years of internal wars and Israeli invasions, and he had to find bold solutions to rebuild the constitutional, administrative, military and security institutions, and address economic, financial and social problems, in parallel with confronting the Israeli attacks, especially in the years 1993 and 1996, and then later in 2006.
Siniora addressed the regional pressures to which Lebanon was exposed, considering that the country faced direct and indirect interventions, in light of a complex security and political situation, which hindered the state from implementing the basic reforms that Lebanon needed, which ultimately led to the financial and economic collapse in 2019, and its continuing repercussions to this day.
He stressed that the required reforms are not imposed from abroad or from the International Monetary Fund, but rather are an urgent Lebanese necessity to restore the state’s efficiency and effectiveness, the regularity of its public finances, and its economic growth.
Siniora said that the “magic word” to get out of the crises lies in the Lebanese state restoring its full authority and confining weapons to its own hands, stressing that “it is not possible for a state to exercise two powers,” and likened that to the proverb that says: “Two captains in one boat will sink it.” He believed that the Lebanese government’s decision last August to move towards arms exclusivity constituted an essential step on the right path.
He added that the implementation of this decision must begin in a firm and wise manner in the area between the Awali and Litani rivers, considering that any hesitation on this path will lead to greater costs for Lebanon.
Siniora continued that Lebanon and the region are witnessing major transformations, most notably the decline in the possibility of the continued existence of armed organizations competing with the state in its authority, and the impossibility of continuing the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflict by armed means, in light of the imbalance of power, without abandoning the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
He also pointed out that the stage of fragmentation and fragmentation in the Arab countries is no longer possible, pointing to the recent Syrian experience as a message of the necessity of preserving the unity of the state and integrating all its components within the framework of a single national state.
He concluded by emphasizing that Lebanon, in light of the escalation of global polarization and the decline in the rules of international law, needs more than ever a strong, unified state with exclusive authority, capable of protecting its diverse society and saving the country from its national, political, economic and social crises.
