President Aoun was briefed on the atmosphere of President Macron’s Gulf tour, by Ambassador Grillo.

​The President met the new Head of the Beirut Bar and council members.

President Aoun: "Judges and lawyers must be impenetrable in the face of corruption and political interference which obscures facts and impede access to rights".

President Aoun: "Judiciary in Lebanon is not in good condition. Everyone must work to protect the judiciary and prevent pressure on judges".

Ambassador Grillo: "KSA has expressed its commitment to help Lebanon. Lebanon must prove its credibility in its commitment to reforms".

The French Ambassador stressed the importance that the international community and France attach to holding parliamentary, municipal and presidential elections, next year.

President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, asserted that "Lebanon needs, at this stage, to be the wing of justice, that is judges and lawyers be impenetrable against corruption and political interference, which obscures facts and impedes access to rights, by owners of these rights".

The President pointed to the role of the judiciary and military and security forces in maintaining justice, security and stability in Lebanon. "Any defect in the work of the judiciary and security institutions will negatively affect the rights of citizens and the safety of the country" President Aoun said.

In addition, the President indicated that the judiciary in Lebanon is not in good shape, "Everyone must work to protect the judiciary and prevent pressure on judges" President Aoun continued. The President also stated that he repeatedly called on judges to act in a manner which satisfies their conscience and the law and not to respond to any interventions from any party, especially since the President is a steel protection for judges.

The President's positions came while meeting the newly elected head of the Beirut Bar, Mr. Nader Kaspar, former President, Antonio Al-Hashem, and Bar Council members.

President Aoun congratulated Kaspar and Council members for their election, and wished them success in their new responsibilities.

Kaspar Speech:

"Mr. President,

Thank you for your kind invitation to this Palace. A Palace which you have lived in it in the late eighties, has been called the People's Palace, and it is one of the most beautiful names that can be given to a residence responsible for the fate of a people.

Mr. President,

Perhaps I would not surprise you if I told you that lawyers, judges and justice are not okay, the people are not okay, and the country is not okay. What afflicts us every day is more like a narration from the Old Testament than the Holy Bible, or a Greek tragedy that does not end with chapters.

We feel that we are on board a ship that is sinking and being tossed by the winds from all sides, while the political forces and parties are distracted by a Byzantine debate that has no horizon or benefit.What justifies, in a country mired under the weight of the third largest economic crisis since the mid-nineteenth century, that the government, Parliament and all the authorities are not in a state of constant alert, holding session after session to come up with solutions?The heart bleeds for this disregard for the fate of an entire people, and the policies of obstruction adopted by the various political parties have become synonymous with the policies of impoverishment, starvation and displacement.

Mr. President,

The scene is so melancholic that we are confused as to where to begin. The union's money is withheld, the judiciary is suffering, the state departments are paralyzed, especially in the lack of justice as a result of the employees' strike, and the economic movement is almost non-existent. All this affects the legal profession to the core. The new council of the Bar, present before you, will give special attention to the issue of lawyers' fees to curb their emigration. In this regard, we ask for your Excellency's support for a project that we will submit to the legislative and executive authorities to cancel or at least suspend the application of the Value Added Tax (TVA) on lawyers' fees, like other liberal professions, so that lawyers can stand firm and keep their offices open.

In addition, the Bar Council, despite giving priority to lawyers' affairs and concerns, will not abandon its national role and will remain at the forefront of defenders of Lebanon and the rights of the Lebanese. There are many substantive issues in this field, and I would like to emphasize to you three points that will be at the core of our priorities in the next stage:

-First, the question of the independence of the judiciary. There is no salvation for Lebanon without a complete dedication to the independence of the judiciary, first through the immediate approval of the appropriate law in the parliament, and secondly by removing the hand of all politicians from the judiciary and allowing our competent judges to exercise their duties according to their conscience only. We hope that no one will bet on any dispute between judges and lawyers in this field. We are one, and the Syndicate Council and the Supreme Judicial Council are one, when it comes to defending the independence of the judiciary and the proper administration of justice.

-Secondly, the Lebanese people, as you know, Your Excellency, have been subjected to the largest organized robbery of their deposits in banks, which led to their impoverishment and displacement. In the face of this situation, the Bar Association will not stand and do nothing, and we will not let the rights of depositors fall prey to a political-financial system that has perpetuated failure and corruption for more than a decade. The Syndicate will be the voice of depositors and the first line of defense for them, and we are in the process of forming a committee that includes specialized lawyers and economists to follow up and study the laws and steps necessary to protect the rights of depositors in full, and we hope for your support in this field.

Finally, there is no solution to our successive political crises without a return to the constitution and the application of existing laws, especially without renewing our democratic life. The upcoming parliamentary elections are essential and fundamental in this regard, and they should not be postponed or tainted by any blemishes, and the Syndicate will be keen on that.

Thank you again for the generous hospitality, may God empower you for all that is in the interest of the country and the citizen.

Long live Lebanon".

French Ambassador:

President Aoun met the French Ambassador to Lebanon, Mrs. Anne Grillo, accompanied by the political advisor at the embassy, ​​Quentin Jeantet.

Grillo briefed the President, at the request of the Elysee, about the atmosphere of the Gulf tour undertaken by French President, Emmanuel Macron, especially his visit to Saudi Arabia, where the KSA expressed its commitment to helping Lebanon and the need to work to implement the commitments that have been taken.

Ambassador Grillo also indicated that France has achieved the first step in this field, and that Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states are also ready to take the steps required of them, pointing out that "Lebanon must, on its part, do what it must and prove its credibility in its commitment to reforms, especially structural reforms that need serious work tools to face this deep crisis".

During the meeting, Ambassador Grillo spoke with President Aoun about the priorities of reforms, and stressed the importance that the international community and France attach to holding parliamentary, municipal and presidential elections next year, especially as the Lebanese are waiting for these elections.

Independence Congratulations:

The President received independence congratulations from the Swiss President, Guy Parmolan, Kazakhstan President, Qasem-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Republic of Benin, Patrice Talon and the President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Gelko Komsic.

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