President Michel Aoun, received delegations of Security apparatuses leaders, congratulating on the 78th independence anniversary.

​President Aoun, noting the role played by the army and security institutions in maintaining security: "The obstacles facing the reform processes that were supposed to be completed during the past years are continuing and work is being done to overcome them one after the other".

President Aoun: "I will work during the last year of my term to pursue outstanding issues, at the forefront of which is setting the path of reforms on the right and permanent track, leading to the treatment of the economic file".

President Aoun: "The economic conditions have negatively affected the soldiers in the various ranks. Despite that, the soldiers perform their duties faithfully, and the state must respond to their bids by improving their conditions".

Army Commander: "We count on your wisdom in approaching thorny issues and getting out of the crisis with minimal losses, and with the presence of the military institution, there is no fear for Lebanon. We will not allow challenges to undermine our resolve".

Director General of the Security Forces: "We urge you to do everything in your power with the government to save the military and security institutions before it is too late so that the basic structure of the Lebanese countries remains without cracking".

Director General of General Security: "The tasks we accomplished during your term contributed to protecting Lebanon, and today we affirm our permanent commitment to implementing the law and complying with its provisions without regard to anything but civil peace".

Director General of State Security: "We pledge to you that we will not hesitate to play our role as an arm and an eye for you in the face of the enemies of Lebanon and in support of truth, law and patriotism that you represent despite the harsh conditions we suffer".

President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, praised the role played by the army and security institutions in maintaining security and stability in the country, despite the difficult economic and living conditions experienced by officers, sergeants and members of these forces, as a result of the financial hardship that Lebanon is going through in these circumstances, "Which is the result of the accumulation of internal and external events, mismanagement and rampant corruption".

President Aoun also stressed that the obstacles placed in the way of the reform processes that were supposed to be accomplished during the past years, are continuing, although work is being done to overcome them one by one.

The President reiterated that he will work during the last year of his term to pursue outstanding issues, foremost of which is setting the reform path on the right and permanent track, leading to addressing the economic file through the work program that the government will accomplish soon.

President Aoun's positions came while receiving delegations of security apparatus leaders who congratulated him on the 78^th anniversary of independence.

Army Commander with the leadership delegation:

In this context, President Aoun received the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, at the head of a delegation that included members of the Military Council, the Deputy Chiefs of Staff, the Intelligence and Guidance Directorate, the Secretary of the Military Council and the Head of the Commander's Office.

General Aoun gave a speech in which he said:

"The 78^th Independence Day is coming this year, and our country is suffering from a political, economic and health crisis, which has cast a heavy shadow on all aspects of the lives of the Lebanese, including the military, who are facing today the harshest conditions, amid the increasing tasks entrusted to them, and which they are still carrying out with discipline, professionalism and absolute loyalty. This institution, which is the guarantee for the continued existence of this homeland, will remain armed with its oath to defend Lebanon, a sovereign, free, and independent homeland, and in its sacred duty to prevent it from slipping into the unknown.

Mr. President,

We knew you solid, adversity increases you strength and determination. We count on your wisdom in approaching the thorny issues, and getting out of this crisis with minimal losses, in the hope that our country will regain its former luster and its comprehensive historical role. Lebanon today, despite all the crises that beset it, still refuses death and clings to life. Lebanon is protected by his cohesive army, who believes in his homeland and is committed to the sanctity of his oath.

Mr. President

With the military establishment, there is no fear for Lebanon. We renew the oath before you that we will remain on our promise. We will not allow challenges to undermine our determination or our confidence in our country. Our sacred mission will remain to protect Lebanon and preserve its independence. We will remain committed to preserving the safety, security and stability of the homeland, as well as the dignity of its people, regardless of the size of the sacrifices.

Long live the army!

Long live Lebanon!".

President Aoun responded, praising the sacrifices made by the military institution in order to maintain security and stability in the country, and to confront terrorism and its cells, saluting especially the military martyrs who fell in defense of the homeland, its sovereignty and security. The President stressed that he continues to work with the Prime Minister in order to address the difficult living conditions experienced by the military of various ranks, similar to other members of the other armed forces and citizens who were directly affected by the deterioration in the exchange rate of the Lebanese Lira.

Director General of the Security Forces and a delegation from the Directorate:

President Aoun received the Director General of the Internal Security Forces, Major General Imad Othman, with a delegation from the General Directorate, which included members of the Leadership Council and a number of senior officers.

Major General Othman delivered a speech in which he said:

"First of all, I would like to congratulate you on my behalf and on behalf of the Internal Security Forces on the 78^th anniversary of independence.

Independence comes this year and Lebanon is experiencing its most difficult crises, and we, the Lebanese, have become accustomed to crises and went through them in their darkest circumstances and emerged from them stronger than we were. In the Internal Security Forces, we have been able to advance this institution forward, until it has become at a recognized level among the international security and police agencies, especially in combating terrorism and espionage, combating drugs and money laundering, and in addressing crime of all kinds, especially organized and cross-border crime.It has also become known to us that the perpetrators of crimes were discovered and arrested in a short time. We manage prisons well despite the overcrowding in them, and we carry out the tasks of maintaining security and order and suppress violations in accordance with legal texts and administrative decisions, with full respect for human rights.

On the other hand, within our institution, we fight corruption and hold the perpetrators accountable. We are keen that the Internal Security Forces, the first institution in the life of Lebanon, be exemplary in all respects.

Mr. President,

The occasion of independence this year befell us unlike its predecessors, as members of the Internal Security Forces (officers, sergeants and individuals) and civil servants are suffering from a severe social financial crisis, as their narrators are somewhere less than $60, and this prevents them from securing a decent life for their family members or in terms of ensuring their nutrition during their service and their transfers to and from their service. We do what we can to lighten their burdens, but in a timid way that does not suffice:

- Health insurances are declining and most hospital institutions are prevented from receiving members of the Internal Security Forces and those who are in charge of them.

- The value of school aid for the internal security forces has declined, as they have to pay huge sums that they are unable to secure, in order to educate their children.

As a result of the large and catastrophic decline in the budget figures of the Internal Security Forces, by nearly 90% of its value, after it was $760 million, it has become about $50 million, which was reflected in many factors, the most important of which are:

- Medicine, hospitalization and medicines.

- Maintenance of equipment and mechanisms (about 1,800 machines are out of order).

- Lack of equipment and consumables: fuel, ammunition, spare parts, stationery...

- We also have a severe shortage of many as a result of the continuous decrease due to the referral to retirement to reach the legal age in parallel with the entry into force of the Law on Stopping Employment and Recruitment.

This is, of course, the tip of the iceberg of the problems facing the institution, its elements and tasks, and in reality it is much more than that. All this did not deter us from our duties and basic goals that we set before us, and we were able to maintain them, despite all the circumstances.

Mr. President

As Commander in Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, we appeal to you here and on the dearest occasion to our hearts, to do everything in your power with the government to save the military and security institutions before it is too late, so that the basic structure of the Lebanese states remains unbroken.

Long live Lebanon!".

President Aoun responded by noting what the security forces are doing, officers, sergeants and individuals, in controlling security, especially during the recent events in a number of Lebanese regions, appreciating the sacrifices being made in order to provide security and safety for the Lebanese and those residing on Lebanese territory.

The President also referred to the economic conditions in the country, which reflected negatively on the soldiers in the various sectors, pointing out that despite this, the soldiers perform their duties with sincerity and dedication, and the state must match their bids by improving their living conditions.

Director General of General Security and the Directorate's Delegation:

President Aoun received the congratulations of the Director General of General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, at the head of a delegation from the General Directorate that included senior officers.

Major General Ibrahim gave a speech in which he said:

"Mr. President,

In your first message on the occasion of the 73^rd Independence Day, on November 22, 2016, you addressed the Lebanese by saying: "Independence is not only an annual festive scene, but it is an affiliation with a people who share life with each other, on a land that gave us an identity that we must preserve, not that we deal with it as a commercial commodity, we offer it for sale in foreign markets, and if we sell it, we lose our identity".

You added: "Things will not be straightened unless we liberate the human element from the culture of corruption, and combating this corruption is through education through the development of the ladder of values, and by law through appropriate legislation".

Mr. President,

You have worked hard to bring Lebanon to the ranks of modern and developed countries, a country worthy of its distinguished historical role alongside its Arab brothers and on the world level, since it gained its independence, as it participated in the establishment of the United Nations and the League of Arab States. But the internal, regional and international circumstances prevented you from achieving everything you aspired to, despite the great things you accomplished during the past five years.

Mr. President,

Lebanon and the Lebanese have suffered from political, economic and social crises, in addition to external threats, but the national will has prevented the state from falling in the face of these dangers, especially the two Israeli dangers and "Takfiri" terrorism, which are still lurking in our country and our people as a whole without exception.

Mr. President,

The security and administrative tasks that we accomplished during your reign have contributed and other security institutions to protecting Lebanon as a united and final homeland for all its sons. Today we have come to assure you of our permanent commitment to implement the law and abide by its provisions, without regard to anything but civil peace, which knows only the national identity, rich in the diversity of its cultures and open to every civilized human interaction other than the unilateral and abolitionist mind.

Mr. President,

We will always work under your auspices to ensure that Lebanon remains the homeland of human rights, the homeland of justice and faith, and the homeland of crafts and creativity, as you always say, because our free survival in this country depends on the decision of the Lebanese to build a strong state that is resistant to attacks and adventures, especially since we are all aware of the dangers of submitting whims and fanaticism. This is our pledge to you and Lebanon. And every year and you, Lebanon and the Lebanese are good".

President Aoun responded, noting the role played by Major General Ibrahim and other public security workers in particular, noting that this institution is in direct contact with citizens and residents in Lebanon and provides them with their needs, and has also succeeded in achieving proactive security that helped reveal schemes targeting the safety of the state and its stability. "The General Security also established a network of cooperation relations with Arab and international security institutions within the framework of coordination to achieve the interest of Lebanon and its foreign relations".

Director General of State Security and the Directorate's delegation:

President Aoun received the Director General of State Security, Major General Tony Saliba, at the head of a delegation from the General Directorate that included senior officers.

Major General Saliba gave a speech in which he said:

"Mr. President,

On this national day, I am honored to remember one of the proudest national periods, and we are honored to walk in the Directorate of State Security, officers, sergeants and individuals, in the footsteps full of patriotism, and to see with eyes full of sacrifice, and to write with pens ink blood, like those who preferred Rashaya prison over accepting dictates that do not resemble them nor us, nor do they resemble Lebanon.

Mr. President

We all know the magnitude of the disasters that strike us every day, and we know the severity of the storms that you face, but our ship will definitely survive, because you are its captain, and you know your ship and it knows you.

As for the State Security Directorate, it is on its oath and loyalty, and it will spare no effort in following up its security and national tasks. We pledge you not to hesitate for a moment to play its role as an arm and an eye for you, in the face of the enemies of Lebanon, and in support of the truth, law and patriotism that you represent, despite the harsh conditions that we and the Directorate suffer from, which we hope will disappear with your will and the will of the national leaders, and your Excellency on top of them.

Long live Lebanon!".

President Aoun responded by noting what the General Directorate of State Security is doing in combating corruption and high prices, and cracking down on monopoly, especially during the past period in which such acts abounded, which harmed citizens, social security and food safety.

In addition, President Aoun pointed out that state security is bravely confronting the anti-reform networks that sow corruption and monopoly in the country, and is working to prosecute those who take advantage of the suffering of citizens and their difficult living conditions, especially since social security is paramount to security and economic stability.​

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