Suleiman: Defense Strategy Beginning to Take Shape through Saudi Grant to Army
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman hailed on Monday Saudi Arabia's grant to the Lebanese army, hoping that the international community will continue to support Lebanon's stability.
He said after a meeting with the diplomatic corps: “A national defense strategy is beginning to take shape through the Saudi grant.”
“Lebanon requires the support of foreign powers to achieve stability and encourage local powers and influential countries to distance the country from regional developments,” he added.
The president revealed in late December that Saudi Arabia has decided to donate three billion dollars with the aim of purchasing French weapons for the Lebanese army as soon as possible.
Commenting on local developments, Suleiman pledged to hold the presidential elections and avert political vacuum, saying that Lebanon relies on foreign powers to support it to achieve this goal.
“I am certain that the international community will support these efforts in order to preserve the country's democracy,” he remarked.
Suleiman's six-year term ends in May.
The ongoing differences between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a number of issues, including the formation of a new government, are raising fears that the elections may be postponed.
Addressing the efforts to form a new government, Suleiman told reporters after his speech: “The cabinet will not be established in the next 48 hours.”
“The weekend will be decisive over this matter,” he remarked.
20 January 2014, 12:16
77
Mr. President, did the Saudis ever tell you, what they wanted in return?
20 January 2014, 12:37
76
M8 vigilance!! I can only say ROFL...
You probably mean vigilance as in watching and following political opponents to plan the best way to eliminate them? That kind of vigilance?
20 January 2014, 17:11
51
Yes Yes Southern M8 (the Iranian fox) guarding the hens (Lebanon's sovereignty.
20 January 2014, 18:43
42
the Iranian Zarif did :)
disband hizbushaitan and return Lebanon to its legal institutions :)
21 January 2014, 00:28
31
Geha..... Zarif is a liar and he can't be trusted. He promised Ban to accept Geneva 1 conditions, and after Ban's invitation to Geneva 2, they recanted and no longer accept Geneva 1 conditions, so their invite to Geneva 2 was rescinded. Whatever Iran says or promises cannot be relied upon or trusted.
20 January 2014, 18:43
42
they, and the whole world community, want a calm and secure Lebanon, free of terrorists.
this is why iran agreed to disband hizbushaitan :)
is it clear now m8 idiots?
try to cover up in any way or shape, no one cares, because we are recovering our country from and in spite of you.
20 January 2014, 18:44
41
they, and the whole world community, want a calm and secure Lebanon, free of terrorists.
this is why iran agreed to disband hizbushaitan :)
is it clear now m8 idiots?
try to cover up in any way or shape, no one cares, because we are recovering our country from and in spite of you.
20 January 2014, 12:40
56
May be to strengthen the army to the point that we need not tolerate outlaw militias.
20 January 2014, 16:32
53
There will never be a HA-LAF war, but there can be a Sunni-Shia war, if the Hezb does not stop its irresponsible actions of trying to eliminate the other side by assassinations and intimidation.
20 January 2014, 13:17
48
Mr president
in order to tell hizb to leave its arms and adopt defence strategy
the LA should have weapons like hizb and better , and I agree that in order to relax big powers just ask for defensive weapons so nobody will give an excuse that offensive weapons may be used to attack
so just defensive ie: anti aircraft , anti war ship , anti tank missiles and drones to controle our borders from south to north
god bless lebanon
20 January 2014, 14:52
411
(1). When the army becomes strong, the state becomes strong and the militias become weak. When the state becomes strong it will impose its will through strong and stable constitutional institutions. Once these show their capacity to endure its will on the people, the militias will see their roles diminished with every passing month, to the point where the militia can no longer convince anyone of their need but their demise. When the state becomes strong through its army, then the law becomes for all, then new people will appear, willing to serve the nation, then we shall see fresh young faces from our youth, ready to prove that Lebanon needs not old dinosaurs to lead but to move out of the way.
20 January 2014, 17:15
54
I wish roar, southern, mowaten, mystic and other M8 posters would endorse your enthusiasm for a stronger army phoenix. To them anything that results in the diminishing role or demise of HA is considered unacceptable (why else would you get few thumbs down for wishing upon us the Lebanese a strong army and a strong Government?
20 January 2014, 19:53
33
the_roar,
Thumbing up and down is done based on the ideas not the poster. I know that there is mutual respect between you and phoenix, but that does not mean you will not thumb his idea down. I have thumbed phoenix down on few occasions and up often. I am specifically referring to this posting of phoenix and my statement is based on the fact that I never heard you (or others mentioned in my post) express desire for a strong army so HA can go away.
20 January 2014, 20:37
22
the_roar,
My conclusions are based on reading your posts over a long time.
I never heard you condemning HA for infringing upon the duties of the army, shooting down a helicopter and killing its pilot, refusing to turn in suspects in crimes (I do not mean STL here), kidnapping an airport employee (Joseph Sader), having zones off limits to the LAF (they decide when to allow ISF or LAF to investigate an incident and when to withold such permission...... I can go on and on with this. But I always hear you loud and clear defending HA and Assad at every occasion. So I believe on what I read and what suits me.
20 January 2014, 20:38
32
Chopper and Roar, both of you are my dear brothers and it pains me to see you wonderful guys affront each other. Both of you post brilliant posts like do several folks here, and in all honesty, both of you are indispensable to this forum. Even if we don't always agree, it's fine, this is the beauty of it all, our variety of thoughts, it's healthy and it's the way to go about, but we all share in the very same thing, our genuine and sincere love for this beloved country of ours. Please shake hands and let's move on, love you all.
20 January 2014, 14:55
38
(2). Let the LAF be given all it needs, if its the devil that's giving it the means so be it, but for heavens' sake, help us get rid of those damn militias, since independence day we saw nothing but them, damn them, we want the state and nothing else, pure Lebanese, for the Lebanese. The hell with militias, and I care less who they are, the hell with them all. The proof is that they've never done anything but mess this whole country up, to the point we don't know what it looks like anymore. We've seen countries where the state is strong, their people live well, why should we Lebanese be condemned to be ruled by militias and not by a state with powerful institutions? Are we any different from normal human beings? Is our country a dumping ground for all the causes but Lebanese ones? The hell with them all, we just want a Lebanese where we could live head high, not head down, eupht wloh shou ftilitkoun tawileh, wloh!!!
20 January 2014, 15:20
28
There MUST NOT be an LAF/HA conflict at any cost. Let's talk, and keep talking until we come to a formula where HA's armed wing is placed under the exclusive authority of the state. And I don't care how long it takes to get there. No civil war, thank you. We paid enough.
We are a diverse country. We cannot exist without embracing every sect. No one must be left behind, being Sunni, Shia, Christian or Druze. We have arrived at this point precisely because the Shia were left behind to fend for themselves ever since independence.
I keep hearing talk about winners and losers. M14 will win and M8 will lose, and vice-versa. Has it crossed your minds that the only viable solution is a win-win that will involve compromise of all involved?
20 January 2014, 15:30
24
Thank you @Jabal, one post I enjoyed reading thoroughly, please continue to post because it's words like yours that we Lebanese need most, not the tit for tat characteristic of this forum and other Lebanese ones, but mature posts like yours that help move us away from hatred and suspicion. Again, grand merci bro.
20 January 2014, 17:21
62
100% correct. Yet so far you got one thumb down from one enemy of co-existence and harmony. Is it a takfiri who does not want Shia, or a Baathist who does not want a strong Lebanon, or a Persian who wants to propagate Iran's influence or who cares .... such a person is an enemy of the State of Lebanon.
20 January 2014, 16:13
35
In the 60's and 70's, Lebanese Christians took arms to protect themselves from the Palestinians aggression. Now Shia's are taking arms to protect themselves from the Israeli/takfiri aggression. Until the army is strong enough to protect all sects, its going to be this way.
20 January 2014, 16:33
73
roar pretends that any changes in lebanon will affect his life in some way, the truth is that no matter what happens here he will always have his welfare housing in australia, his welfare cheque and his welfare food stamps.
20 January 2014, 18:16
52
i live in Beirut, originally from Saida, and we don't have any form of welfare because this is lebanon, not some cushy western country. not that i would need any since i am a big shot.
