“Had it not been for President Aoun’s support, Cabinet would not have been able to settle a lot of files this entire year!” Interior minister Nouhad el-Mashnouq said about the Lebanese President Michel Aoun, following the seminar of the Mustaqbal or Future Movement.
“President Aoun’s stances greatly improved this year in the direction of more openness towards all parties, and understanding of all constitutional mechanisms that are necessary for the country, and political tolerance of opposing ideas,” minister el-Mashnouq said.
“The settlement that led General Aoun to Baabda has suffered minor clashes that we have managed to overcome; and the president is very keen on political consensus and is abiding by the Constitution and the laws.” Minister Mashnouq added.
Mashnouq also tackled the subject of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL), and said that he expects the U.N.-backed STL to issue verdicts in the Hariri case “within a period not exceeding two years.”
On another note, minister Mashnouq spoke about the latest statements regarding the Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh and said that such talk are “inaccurate” and added, “Governor Salameh is a national and international guarantee for monetary stability in Lebanon; he has achieved great success and obtained the acknowledgement of the world’s central bank governors.”
“It is very important for the Lebanese to be self-confident and self-reliant for we are living in a transition period in the region and our priority is to maintain stability until the regional picture is clear,” Mashnouq concluded.
