The president of the Independence Movement Michel Moawad received former minister General Ashraf Rifi in his residence in Baabda. The meeting between the two men was part of General Rifi’s visits to political leaders and parties, aiming to create a national opposition. It included an overall review of the recent developments in the country at the national, political, economic and social levels, in addition to discussions about Rifi’s initiative to create a national opposition.

Moawad

After the meeting, Moawad emphasized Rifi’s unchanging and steady political positions, praising “his career in the Interior Security Forces during very critical times, his successful ministerial experience, and his refusal to abide by the political quota distribution principle.” He said, “Even though there are differences in our approach to some matters, nevertheless, minister Rifi and I agree on all the sovereignty and national matters on which we both firmly refuse to compromise. Therefore, we will stay in touch and cooperate for reaching the goals about which we always agreed.”

Rifi

Then Rifi spoke, and he said: “Moawad and I have a common understanding on all the national, sovereignty and independence fundamentals. We both refuse the presence of any armed groups outside the State’s legitimate security institutions, whatever designation they might be given, and we insist that the Lebanese Army and the State’s official security forces represent the only real guarantee for the security and safety of the Lebanese and their livelihoods, and for the safeguarding of our boarders. We also insist that the State alone is to hold all decision-making powers, especially as we are here today in the family house of Martyr-President Rene Moawad who was killed because he refused that the Lebanese State’s powers be controlled by any other entity.”

Rifi added: “We hold a common vision about the necessity to fight corruption and the corrupted, whatever the party they belong to. Lebanon cannot bear anymore the present widely spread corruption that made us reach the bottom economically, socially and financially. I believe that we should all work together hand in hand to face the corrupt conglomerates that turned the country into a farm.”

He continued: “But Moawad and I have a different approach on how to move the country out of the helpless situation in which it presently finds itself. After what we witnessed in Arsal, I consider that the State is absent or has given away its powers. It is as though there is a vacancy in the Presidency, a vacancy in the Government, and a full control by Hezbollah.
“My belief is that all the opposition forces and parties, along with the civil society, should form a national nationwide opposition; an opposition that addresses the Lebanese citizens’ aspirations and offers them a model contrary to the present culture of submission and corruption; an opposition that would restore Lebanon’s independence and remove the Iranian hegemony over the Lebanese decision-making power, which is exerted via Hezbollah’s arms.
“We will keep cooperating with Mr. Michel Moawad to build on the common spaces between us, which are not negligible.”