Aoun sweeps aside Barrack's statements: 'Don't waste your time with that'

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday dismissed recent remarks by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, stating that they are "rejected by all Lebanese."

"Don't waste your time with that; these statements are rejected by all Lebanese," he said in the Baabda Presidential Palace during a meeting with a delegation of journalists from the Journalists for Freedom association.

On December 7, U.S. envoy for Syria Tom Barrack, who is also ambassador to Turkey, said that the United States wants "to find solutions" to the crises in Lebanon and Syria, calling to "bring together and align" the two countries, during a roundtable at the Doha Forum on "A Year of Transition in Damascus." Already in July, Barrack had stated that “if Lebanon doesn’t move, it will return to Bilad el-Sham,” a term referring to a geographic region including present-day Syria and several neighboring territories.

These remarks prompted a firm response Thursday from Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri: "Let no one threaten the Lebanese. It is totally unacceptable to address the Lebanese in such a manner, especially from diplomats," he said during a meeting with a delegation of the Press Order, headed by Aouni al-Kaaki. According to him, Barrack's words "constitute a serious mistake and are absolutely unacceptable."

Aoun also stressed that the restoration of the state's monopoly on arms has been underway for a year, and what has been accomplished is not as simple as some might think. "The execution is technically the army’s responsibility. We started a year ago. What has been accomplished is not simple, but it has been done. The army has lost martyrs among its best members and specialists. Dealing with weapons whose origin, storage method, or level of danger is unknown requires studies, specialists and planning. The army is not only focused on the South: it is deployed across the entire territory and fully carries out its missions. What's important is that the decision has been made and is being implemented. We will continue," he asserted.

Lebanon is under strong international pressure to disarm Hezbollah, not just south of the Litani River, but throughout the country. This operation is hindered by the party’s refusal to hand over its arsenal to Lebanese authorities. Foreign Minister Joe Rajji announced on Friday new international warnings against a “large-scale operation” by Israel in Lebanon.

Positive atmosphere

The head of state also underlined that the decision to appoint a civilian to the cease-fire oversight commission (“mechanism”) was a positive signal. “We had been discussing this option for a year already. And on the eve of the Pope's visit to Beirut, the Americans informed me they had succeeded in obtaining Israeli approval for a civilian's presence in Naqoura on the mechanism commission,” Aoun said.

"So I chose Ambassador Simon Karam, a former ambassador to the United States, who had participated in the Madrid negotiations. I summoned him on Tuesday, after the Pope’s departure, and after conferring with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. The European and American atmosphere was positive simply due to his attendance at the mechanism’s meetings."

Aoun also explained that several American aid programs are destined for the Lebanese Army, each with a very specific objective. He pointed out, “This is the first time an official [American] decision mentions the need to help the Lebanese army.”

He regretted, however, those “Lebanese voices in the United States” who “call not to help the army and seek to disrupt its activity.”

“The task of the Lebanese Army is not limited to collecting Hezbollah's weapons. The army also combats drugs, terrorism, controls the borders and ensures internal security,” the Lebanese president emphasized, recalling that during Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon, 25,000 soldiers secured the ground.

“Despite the incitement of some, there is no American resentment towards the army, which fulfills all its assigned tasks,” he said.

'No agreement, no signed document'

Finally, questioned about a written, signed commitment he allegedly gave to Hezbollah shortly before his election to the presidency, regarding the adoption of a defense strategy without mentioning the collection of weapons — as claimed by deputies from the party who even threatened to disclose the document — Aoun invited them “to do so immediately.”

“Let them publish it now … if it exists. Words must be responsible. There is neither agreement nor a signed document. And even if — just for argument’s sake — it were true, how could I have made such a commitment when, an hour later, I gave my inaugural address in which I promised to uphold the principle of a weapons monopoly?”