On March 26th, Lebanese President Michel Aoun blamed the US-Russia standoff for the general destabilization in the Middle East. He did so during his visit to Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The usual US-linked Lebanese leader also criticized US President Donald Trump’s unilateral recognition of the Golan Heights as Israeli territory.
Before meeting the Russian president, Aoun met with Russian lawmakers and specifically the Chairman of the State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin. During the talks, Aoun openly blamed the situation in the Middle East on the US-Russian relations.
“In essence, today the situation in the Middle East region has become hostage to relations between the Russian Federation and the United States,” he said.
He also reiterated that the announcement of US recognition of Golan Heights as Israeli territory affected Lebanon negatively.
“We believe that the leader of a foreign state does not have the right to dispose of foreign territories like that. Moreover, this is fraught with escalation of social discontent, not to mention that such steps contradict the most openly international law and the decisions of the UN Security Council,” the Lebanese President said.
The Russian State Duma Speaker criticized the US and said that “the actions of the United States are detrimental to global security and the previously reached agreements.”
According to Volodin “everything that has been done for decades in achieving peace, maintaining balance between different countries, somewhere fragile, somewhere very complicated, built on dialogue and international agreements, today we see it collapsing because of that the leadership of the United States by its actions cancels the previously reached agreements and makes decisions that go against the UN resolution, international rights and international agreements. “
He also foresaw that it wouldn’t lead to anything good.
It is apparent, however, that the Golan Heights issue is unrelated to the US-Russia competition, but rather it is a result of the US apparent agenda of forwarding Israel’s interest in the region.
At the start of his talks with Putin, the Lebanese leader criticized Trump’s decision to recognize Golan Heights as Israeli territory. He said that Trump’s decision “undermines the foundations and rules of the United Nations and international law” and “causes particular concern in the countries neighboring Israel.”
Click to see the full-size image
Putin provided no comment on the issue but praised Lebanon as Moscow’s “traditional partner” in the Middle East region.
He also said that a wave of Syrian refugees might flood Europe soon, since Lebanon doesn’t have the capacity to handle all of them.
“We have 500,000 Palestinian refugees and about 1.5 million Syrians. It is a high figure for our country,” Aoun stressed. “Europe is directly interested in solving the situation, as Syrian refugees staying in Lebanon are not satisfied with the economic situation in the country and new and new migrant waves to Europe will start soon.”
Michel Aoun also disregards the reality that the Lebanese government also played a part in the destabilization of the region, by dealing with various powers that directly or indirectly work towards destabilizing the region, such as Washington, Tel Aviv and even some militant groups.
Furthermore, General Michel Aoun has a history of being supported by the US and France, and his anti-Syrian position is also quite apparent. A glance at his biography shows his long-standing opposition of Syria and policy against it.
Aoun has, since 2017 called for the return of refugees to Syria and has asked the EU and Russia for assistance repeatedly.
On March 21st, 2019, Aoun claimed that ties with Syria were normalized and that Lebanon would like to take part in its reconstruction.
“The ties with Syria are normalized, seeing as they’re characterized by the presence of an ambassador in each of the two countries, and therefore they’re not severed. Lebanon wants to take part in its reconstruction,” he said.
Aoun also accused the international community of “taking refugees as a hostage in order to receive the price in the political solution. Lebanon takes notice of the international conditions, but it will act according to its higher interest.”
When he was elected in 2016, he vowed to protect Lebanon from “regional fires” such as the Syrian conflict. The US State Department described his election as “a moment of opportunity.”
His sporadic allegiances to Israel also become apparent in his claims that Israel’s destruction of Hezbollah tunnels at the Israel-Lebanon border present no risk to peace.
“We certainly took this issue seriously – the presence of tunnels at the border – and Israel informed us via the United States that it does not have aggressive intentions and it will continue to work on its (territory). We also do not have aggressive intentions… We are ready to remove the causes of the dispute, but after we obtain a final report and we set out the matters that need to be dealt with,” Aoun said in December 2018.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
In all fairness, I’d consider Lebanon a Pawn in the great power struggles even if I don’t agree with the President’s assessment. I can empathize with his position, he needs money from the U.S. and the Saudis.
What – so sell your and your Countries soul ?.
Whilst I do agree with you in my empathy, there is something about this man; both in his words and his look that does not sit well with me.
A foreign implant ?. I hope I am wrong.
http://westernprelacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/MichelAoun.jpg
Contrary to what the author of this article claims, Aoun did not blame Russia for the destabilization. He said the current situation is now hostage to the stand off between Russia and the US.
I don’t know how his words or looks make him a foreign implant but if he was, it would imply that Syria and Iran are too. Aoun was ousted from Lebanon by Lebanese and Syrian forces with the US supporting the move. He was allowed to come back with the seal of approval of Syria and Iran.
Apologies, I just went off the article.
The Lebanese government is corrupt to the bone, and it’s kept that way on purpose. Their debt to GDP ratio was 150% last year. Something like 45% of tax revenue goes towards debt interest. Everyone owns the Lebanese politicians – except the average Lebanese citizen. Precisely the way Israel and Saudi Arabia (therefore, the US) wants it to be.
Where did all that Lebanese government money go? The usual graft and corruption, but al lot went to the wealthiest Lebanese and their foreign corporations through subsidized (artificially low) commercial real estate interests rates. Great for a fake economy of construction jobs up until now, but there’s only so many oligarchs to buy up all that luxury crap today. Infrastructure? Sorry – not unless you’re building roads/utilities to wealthy neighborhoods or commercial centers.
When all those commercial properties go bankrupt (months, not years from now), the average Lebanese will be totally screwed. Tax slaves doing nothing but servicing their country’s debt, while the wealthy pay nothing. And all this without any IMF loans – yet. That will all change, and it will come with plenty of punishing austerity measures for the little people.
The 1943 French National Pact (dividing Lebanon’s power between the Maronites, Shia, Sunni, Orthodox and Druze) created the “pawn” as it rendered Lebanon eternally influential to local and international powers.
That said, how is his statement (which was twisted by the author of this article as “blame”) a matter of money?
why involve russia – it’s quite enough just to put the blame on moronistan (aka usa) which based on lies occupied and destroyed iraq and libya and other countries – and without the meddling by moronistan the middle east might just have been in better shape and israel or the squatters evicted a long time ago. the squatters are behind every point of unrest in the middle east and that is why it is of paramount importance to kick them all the way to hell!
I agree that Aoun should not have involved Russia but he, and contrary to the words of the author of this article, did not blame Russia for destabilizing the region. My opinion is that he passed along a message for Syria and Iran.
The IMF and World Bank loans talks.
How so; care to elaborate?
In all honesty can’t this man say that Israhell is the reason for all that drama in the ME or is it a sign of diplomacy to beat around the bush?
Contrary to what the author of this article claims, Aoun did not blame Russia but made a statement that about the present situation. I think he passed along a message for Syria and Iran.
I am sure there is more that is omitted from the article and the news. Aoun will not move his old bones all the way to Russia to talk about immigration and blame the main players, the cause and effect if you want. I salute him for going to the right place and talking to the right people. Also, pompeo did not get what he wants in Lebanon which is great.
That from a leader of a nation who’s people are more likely to kill each other than they are anyone else.
Rhetorically speaking, I don’t know where you continuously get your demented and false information from but people in Lebanon are not likely to kill each other. The vile powers you support tried, desperately, to pit us against one another with a series of false-flag killings and bombings to start another civil but we knew/know who was behind it.
Whoever wrote this article (with a misleading title and ridden with (malicious) misinformation) had the clear intention of demonization Aoun and Lebanon in making broad and unfounded extrapolations. Aside from the Golan Heights and the return of Syrian refugees from Lebanon, Russian investments in Lebanon was also topic in hand during the visit.
To address the other “points” of this article:
• Aoun did/does not blame Russia for the destabilization in the region. His statement was about the current situation. There is a difference between what the author of this article claims (“Aoun blamed”) and what Aound said (“In essence, today the situation in the Middle East region has become hostage to relations between the Russian Federation and the United States”).
• Not sure how the Lebanese government played a role in the destabilization of the region when it was Lebanon that was hit with a series of false-flag killings and bombings since 2005 (to start a civil war that was meant to spread to Syria) and that, after Syria occupied Lebanon for nearly three decades. The author of this article also categorically omits (likely to not knowing) that Lebanon’s power was divided between the five main groups by the 1943 French National Pact – thus putting Lebanon’s governance in eternal influence to local and international key players.
• Aoun night have been pro-US and/or pro-France but that was decades ago. When Aoun was ousted from Lebanon by Lebanese and Syrian forced, the US supported his expulsion as Aoun sided with Saddam Hussein. Most importantly, Aoun would not have been able to come back to Lebanon, especially to become President, if Syria and Iran didn’t gave their seal of approval. Aoun is very much pro-Syria/Iran today.
• Aoun is not pro-Israel. “Sporadic alliegances” is laughable at best. There is not a single instance where Aoun showed anything of the sort. His statement following the discovery of the said tunnels at the southern border was formality. He clearly stated that Lebanon awaited final report from the UNIFIL.