Resistance strength card decisive in border demarcation: Aoun

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Lebanese President Michel Aoun underlined on Saturday that the Lebanese Resistance's trump card played to reach an agreement on the demarcation of the southern maritime borders "helped dissipate the hesitation that prevailed."

In a previous statement on Saturday, Aoun told Al Mayadeen that it was better for the dialogue on forming a government to take the form of "consultations between Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and each parliamentary bloc separately," noting that "the matter of forming a government seems impossible."

During an interview on Friday with the Lebanese Al-Manar channel, Aoun said, according to a statement by the Presidency of the Republic issued today, that "force is necessary, but it must be a deterrent, has a certain discipline, and cannot be used arbitrarily."

"The failure of negotiations would have posed a threat to peace, because we could not, in light of our need, freeze our natural wealth. If we were not in need of this wealth, we wouldn't have entered into a war," the Lebanese President said.

Earlier, Aoun confirmed that "the idea of ​​peace with the enemy is out of the question, and there was no direct contact or talk between Lebanon and the enemy. Instead, things took place through a US mediator."

He pointed out that the completion of the demarcation of the southern maritime borders and the extraction of gas is "the hope for the Lebanese who are living a massive and difficult crisis," pointing out that "the poverty rate in the country has increased to reach 75% after it was 25% in the past."

Lebanon has been suffering from successive financial and economic crises for years. The country has witnessed a continuous rise in the prices of food, fuel, medical materials, basic commodities, fuel and electricity, in addition to the collapse of the exchange rate of the Lebanese pound against the US dollar.

Touching on the topic of the formation of a new government, Aoun said, "The current government does not enjoy the confidence of the people and thus cannot rule," adding that Prime Minister Najib Mikati "has no will to form a government, and there must be unity in terms of the formation criteria," adding that he "will give a chance" until the end of his term.

Regarding the possibility of forming a government, Aoun said he was "on the verge of signing the decree for the resignation of the caretaker government," adding that "If a government is not formed, a caretaker government cannot rule, and I cannot accept a caretaker government."

Lebanese President: The situation will be extremely bad without president, government

Regarding the possibility of a presidential vacuum after the end of his term and the absence of a government, the Lebanese President said that the situation will be "extremely bad" and that, following the status quo, it is difficult to reach a solution.

It is worth mentioning that President Aoun's term ends this Monday, and the Lebanese Parliament members failed to elect a new president for the country after four fruitless sessions.