Independence Movement President and resigned MP Michel Moawad’s media office has issued the following statement:

After reading Al-Akhbar’s petty article “Michel Moawad… The Prodigal Son’s Return”, we would like to make the following clarifications:

• First: Moawad has never been a “prodigal son,” and it seems that the article’s writer is unfamiliar with the Parable of the Prodigal Son and, indeed, has never read the Bible. Moawad has never strayed from his principles or wavered from his commitment to sovereignty and his reformist approach, a fact that everyone who has worked alongside him would attest to.
• Second: Since 2014, Moawad has been keen on keeping lines of communication open with all factions, even those who are not on the same page politically. This openness stems from his belief in the need to play a conciliatory role and build on commonalities to the greatest extent possible. Thus, he remains keen on bringing parties together and continuously calls for synergizing the efforts of everyone working to actualize reforms and retrieve our country’s sovereignty.

• Third: Michel Moawad has been a key member of the opposition against this ruling clique since he resigned from parliament, and he regularly coordinates with revolutionary groups. He is also constantly coordinating- openly- with the Kataeb Party, and Moawad recently received, in his home, several Lebanese Forces officials who had expressed their desire to visit him and discuss the issues of the day. He explained his point of view to them, reiterating his conviction that continuing to work within institutions- as things stand- gives the ruling clique cover, and emphasizing the importance of resigning for the formation of a broad opposition that strives to change the status quo on every level.

Moawad is absolutely convinced that Lebanon cannot be saved without a comprehensive battle for change. He is determined to wage it alongside the revolutionaries and civil society, and he is always ready to cooperate with anyone who genuinely wants to join them.