Army Commander welcomes league of military attachés, US delegation
16 كانون الثاني 2018 18:47
Marking the occasion of the New Year, Lebanese Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, welcomed at his office in Yarzeh a delegation representing the League of Arab and Foreign Military Attachés accredited to Lebanon, and representatives of the Truce Supervision Organization, led by the league's dean, French Military Attaché, Colonel Christian Hero.
Addressing his visitors, General Joseph Aoun delivered a word in which he lauded the efforts of the league.
"I highly recognize your performance as military attachés, whether through your efforts to strengthen the bonds of cooperation between us, or through your commitment to the military corps," the Army Commander said.
"2017 has witnessed a lot of political and security developments in more than one region around the world, whilst the efforts of our countries and armies had been focused on continuing the war on terror, which has become a global concern, in the Middle East and in the Arab region in particular. Significant achievements have been made during the past year in the face of terrorism, the most important of which is the elimination of the terrorist organization Daesh in Iraq," Aoun added.
Touching on the local scene, the Army Commander shared with his visiting delegation the many feats of the military institution.
"As you may know, last summer we managed to completely uproot terrorist organizations along the eastern border. We also managed to dismantle dozens of networks and terrorist cells belonging to these two organizations; thus, we were able to protect Lebanon from the danger of terrorist groups," the Army Commander explained.
"In spite of all these achievements, the threat of terrorism lingers due to the fact that it is an ideological state of mind with exclusionary objectives; therefore, a radical confrontation requires a genuine response to thrash out thorny cultural, social, and economic issues," Aoun added.
The Army Commander went on to reaffirm commitment to maintaining a state of stability along the southern border in cooperation with the international forces [UNIFIL] within the framework of resolution 1701.
"Simultaneously, we are ready to confront any Israeli aggression against Lebanon," he added, voicing as well commitment to fully control Lebanon's land and sea borders to prevent acts of infiltration and smuggling of all kinds.
General Joseph Aoun pinned high hope on Rome II conference to be held in February in support of the Lebanese military institutions.
"The international community is fully aware that our Army is a key partner in the fight against terrorism and the preservation of regional and international stability," he added.
On the other hand, General Aoun met at his office in Yarzeh, Commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command, Vice Admiral John C. Aquilino, who visited him with an accompanying delegation including U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard.
The meeting featured high on the means to bolster bilateral relations between the armies of Lebanon and the U.S.