The Presidency Press Office issued the following statement:

 “Politicians and media individuals deliberately cut out sections of President Michel Aoun’s message to the Lebanese last Monday and interpreted these parts in a way that is different from reality, for goals that are no longer hidden from anyone, and these are the same reasons that are adopted every time the President of the Republic and the position of the presidency are targeted.

 And to those who went too far in their imaginations, intentionally or out of misunderstanding, the following must be clarified:

-First: President Aoun reminds those who are keen on Lebanon’s unity and those who claim refusal to divide Lebanon, that he was the one who launched since 1978 while he was on an official mission in Washington to rearm the army, his famous slogan that he still repeats to this day, which is that “Lebanon is too big to be gobbled and too small to be partitioned”.

He used this slogan in response to a question asked to him that year in the US capital, whether Lebanon was going to partition.

Second: With regard to those who deliberately or ambiguously proposed the expanded administrative and financial decentralization that was mentioned in the letter of the President of the Republic, it is necessary that the Presidency of the Republic confirms that financial decentralization and administrative decentralization are closely related to what was mentioned in the National Accord Document, emanating from the Taif Conference and in the introduction to the Constitution, on the balanced development of the regions, and the expanded administrative decentralization undertaken by the district councils at the level of the smaller administrative units in order to ensure local participation, aims at the growth and development of those regional units and enhancing their financial resources, as also stated in the National Accord Document.

 Local public services do not mean a departure from the central state system in terms of public finance, security and foreign policy.

 Receptions:

 Deputy Prime Minister:

President Aoun received Deputy Prime Minister Saadeh Al-Shamy, who briefed him on the meetings held in preparation for the completion of the economic recovery program with the IMF.

Statement:

After the meeting, Al-Shami said: 

"During the meeting, I briefed President Aoun about the latest developments in the field of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, especially as I am charged with following up on this file, in a round of discussions and important conversations on topics related to financial policy, the banking sector, the exchange rate, and others.

These negotiations will deepen further during a visit by an expanded IMF mission to Beirut during the month of January, and we are preparing various files to be ready for these negotiations, hoping that we will reach an agreement with the Fund as soon as possible.

 Lebanese Ambassador in Tehran:

The President met Lebanon's Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ambassador Hassan Abbas, and discussed with him the Lebanese-Iranian relations and ways to develop them.

 The meeting also dealt with the data related to the ongoing negotiations regarding the nuclear file and the parties' positions on them.

 Lebanese ambassador to Algeria:

President Aoun also received Lebanon's Ambassador to Algeria, Ambassador Mohamed Hassan, who briefed him on the ongoing preparations for holding the Arab Summit in Algeria next March, and the participation of the President of the Republic at the head of the Lebanese delegation.

Lebanese-Algerian relations and ways of developing them in all fields, especially the economic, commercial, and tourism were also discussed.

Ambassador Hassan also briefed President Aoun on the situation of the Lebanese community in Algeria, and thanked him for his condolences on the death of his brother, Dr. Shaaban Hassan.

Choueifat Municipality

​President Aoun received a delegation from the Choueifat Municipality, which included Mayor, Dr. Ziad Haidar, his deputy, Shedid Hanna, and members of the municipal council: Khaled Abu Aram, Nassib Musharrafieh, George Choucair, Wajeeh Al-Souqi, Tariq Abu Fakher, in the presence of attorney Randa Hanna.

The mayor gave a speech in which he thanked, on behalf of the municipal council and the people of Choueifat, President Aoun for the role he played in securing the rights of the municipality and the people in the proceeds of the rental value of the free market at Rafic Hariri International Airport, which was frozen 35 years ago, and its value is estimated at 60 billion Lebanese pounds.

Dr. Haidar said that this file has been held in the drawer for more than three decades, despite the reviews of the municipality and the people, and the wasted right did not reach its owners except during the era of President Aoun, expressing great gratitude for the presidential support in achieving the right and lifting the injustice and unfairness of the Choueifat people.

 For his part, President Aoun thanked the ChoueifatMunicipal Council, Mayor, members and the town’s residents for their affection, considering that what he did was among the core of his duties towards any citizen who was deprived of his rights..

 President Aoun also affirmed that he will not hesitate to work to bring everyone who has a right to his right in all Lebanese regions, noting what the town of Choueifat represents as a model for coexistence and harmony among his sons.