President Michel Aoun said that the Syrian refugee crisis will be resolved before 2018, the date set by French President Emmanuel Macron to hold the international conference on refugee crisis.
In a statement to French Magazine “Valeurs Actuelles,” Aoun stressed that Lebanon will discuss the issue of the refugees’ return with Syria, noting that the consultations are under discussion.
He added that the Christians of the East are not the only victims of the regional wars, but relative to their number, they can be considered the most threatened, pointing out that their immigration is caused by persecution and failure to treat them as other citizens in Israel.
Commenting on Lebanon’s purchase of French weapons with Saudi funds, the president said: “I don’t know, there have been some change in the position of Saudi leaders, and these are royal decision. The king wished to retract the agreement. This is all we know.”
During another interview with French Magazine “Paris Match,” Aoun stressed that Prime Minister Saad Hariri is a moderate person.
“On the contrary to the beliefs of the majority of the people, there have never been Iranian intervention in Lebanon’s affairs, it might be hard to believe but it is the reality,” he stated.
Concerning the Syrian crisis, Aoun said that the war will end soon, noting that a peaceful solution for the crisis will remain to be reached.
“Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will remain in power and an agreement between him and his people must be reached over future of Syria,” he added.