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Aoun Complains of ‘Barricades’ against him as he Completes 4th Year as Lebanon’s President

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (Dalati & Nohra)
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Aoun Complains of ‘Barricades’ against him as he Completes 4th Year as Lebanon’s President

Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (Dalati & Nohra)
Lebanese President Michel Aoun. (Dalati & Nohra)

There is no doubt that the four years that Lebanese President Michel Aoun has spent in power have not been anything close to the people’s expectations. This is especially true for his Christian popular base that had for decades dreamed of his return to the Baabda presidential palace that he was forced to flee in 1990 when he was then head of the transitional government.

The “strong” president, as his supporters like to describe him, has not been able to fulfill the pledges of “reform and change”. He has instead blamed others for “setting up barricades” that have impeded his ambitions.

Aoun was elected president in 2016 after a presidential settlement was struck with former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and after an agreement was reached with his rival, Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces. Both agreements had envisaged electing Aoun as president so that he can achieve his “reform” plans.

However, the deal with the LF soon collapsed and the settlement with Hariri floundered last year when he resigned as premier in wake of massive anti-government protests that erupted in October.

Aoun was quick to turn on Hariri, saying he “lost a year and 14 days of my tenure due to the formation of governments that were headed by the PM.”

Hariri was earlier this month designated as prime minister for the fourth time. Aoun’s bloc, the largest in parliament, did not nominate him to the post. Ahead of the parliamentary consultations that eventually led to the naming of the veteran politician, Aoun complained that some sides were “obstructing the realization of vital projects for the country.”

He also vowed that he will “continue to confront everyone who is preventing our people from carrying out reform and building the state.”

Aoun’s latest televised appearance sparked a wave of criticism that called on him to resign if he is unable to achieve anything for the country.

This prompted his supporters to claim that the president already has limited constitutional powers, alleging that local and foreign powers were conspiring against him.

MP of Aoun’s Lebanon Strong bloc, Alain Aoun said: “At the beginning of his term, the president was able to achieve several security achievements by resolving the Arsal outskirts clashes and defeating ISIS in Lebanon.”

“On the financial level, budgets were approved after nearly a decade of disputes. Economically, the Cedre conference was held in April 2018 and Lebanon received international pledges worth 11 billion dollars. Politically, the proportional electoral law was approved, marking a qualitative shift in political life,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The past two years, however, witnessed developments that brought this momentum to a halt, he said, citing political disagreements that led to the squandering of opportunities and several missteps.

He also cited the October 17 revolution and its repercussions, as well as the financial collapse, the country’s isolation and the August 4 blast at Beirut port.

“All of these developments worsened the situation and led us to where we are today,” he explained. “We should not surrender, but invest in the last opportunity that was granted to us in the shape of the French initiative that is aimed at stopping the downward spiral and kicking off Lebanon’s economic recovery.”

The MP noted that Lebanon needed to address several “fundamental problems in its political system”. They demand development and amendments so that the country could become more productive and avoid impasses whenever disputes arise.

This can take place through constitutional amendments related to expanding the president’s authority, he remarked, adding, however, that priority at the moment must be addressing the financial crisis, implementing reforms and restoring local and international trust in Lebanon.

Political science professor Michel Doueihy said that since Aoun’s return to Lebanon from Paris exile in 2005, his behavior and political alliances all sought to build his legislative and executive power.

He had no red lines and qualms about striking alliances with allies of the Syrian regime. His Reform and Change movement soon began to take on the practices of the parties that it had long criticized, namely the Amal movement of Speaker Nabih Berri.

Doueihy told Asharq Al-Awsat: “Aoun’s political failure is part of the failure of the entire political system and authority. The alliance between sectarian parties and banks is what collapsed.”

“Alleging that the president has lost his privileges is unfounded because even though the Taif Accord did diminish them, the president still retains major authority, such as approving government lineups, judicial appointments and others,” he said.

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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saddam Hussein’s entourage never expected that they would one day find themselves in jail. It never occurred to them that the American military machine would use all of its might to oust Saddam’s regime and overthrow the ruling party and army. They never believed that forces allied to Iran would assume positions of power in the new regime.

Times changed and Saddam, who controlled the fate of the nation and its people, found himself in prison where he counted the days until his execution. The man was unyielding until his last breath and his will remained unbroken.

The men who made up the Revolutionary Command Council or government soon found themselves in prison. They were interrogated by the Americans and Iraqis and a death sentence was always going to be their fate.

In the second installment of his interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan, late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law and second secretary, recalled the execution of his colleagues and relatives. He also recalled how he married Hala, the youngest of Saddam’s daughters, and how the late president acted around his family, away from state affairs.

Other officials who were held along with Saddam included “Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, my uncle and member of the Revolutionary Command Council Ali Hussein al-Majid, my other uncle Abed Hassan al-Majid, head of the Revolutionary Command Council Awad al-Bandar, Saddam’s half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan, Secretary Abed Hammoud and aide to the intelligence chief Farouk Hijazi,” said Mustafa.

He showed Asharq Al-Awsat a video that recently came to light of Khodair al-Khozaei, the former vice president during the American occupation. “In it, he said that he saw no justification for the death sentence against Abed Hammoud. Most dangerous of all, he confessed that he visited Iran and consulted with a judicial official, who encouraged him to sign the death sentence, which he did,” added Mustafa.

“The truth is that we sensed from the beginning that our trial was a means of revenge acting at Iran’s orders. One day, Abed Hammoud was informed that he was going to be moved to hospital and later that day the guards informed us that he was executed,” he continued.

“Mr. President (Saddam) expected to be executed. The truth is that his very existence, whether in jail or otherwise, was a source of concern for them. I can firmly attest that the members of the leadership bravely faced their death sentence. None of them showed any weakness or faltered,” he revealed.

He recalled the day they informed Barzan and Awad that they were going to be executed. “I was working out with al-Bandar when we received the news. I am not exaggerating when I say that he maintained his optimism even in that moment. They were executed the next day. Days later, I learned that Abed Hassan al-Majid, Farouk Hijazi and Hadi Hassan, an intelligence officer, were executed,” Mustafa said.

“Let me tell you what used to happen. One day, they came up with false charges that before the US occupation, I gave Mr. Khamis al-Khanjar (a Sunni politician) a sum of 250,000 dollars. Of course, the charge is baseless. They told me that I would remain in jail for life if I did not confess to the charge. I refused and told them that I enjoyed normal relations with Khanjar,” he went on to say.

“They later came up with a different scenario. They told me that they would take me to the Iraqi embassy in Jordan if I confessed to the charge and that I would late be released in Amman with a hefty sum of money. I told them that I would reject whatever they have to offer because I would not abandon my values to betray Khanjar, who was a friend,” he stated.

“They later accused me of complicity in the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes, which I had nothing to do with,” he added.

Saddam Hussein with his daughter Hala in this undated photo. (Getty Images)

First call after Saddam’s execution

Mustafa recalled the first telephone call he had with his wife Hala and her mother, Sajida Khairallah Talfah, right after Saddam’s execution. “Five days after Mr. President’s martyrdom, I contacted my family. I spoke with my wife, and she was in very good spirits. She had very high faith and patience. I asked her about her mother, and she reassured me that she was also doing very well despite the pain,” he said.

“I pray that Gold Almighty will give her health and a long life. We have always derived our strength from her. My mother-in-law lost her two sons, Uday and Qusay, and then her husband. She had played a major role in supporting her husband from the beginning of his struggle. She always used to support him and stood by him throughout his career,” he remarked.

First meetings with Saddam

Mustafa recalled the early days of his meeting with Saddam. “They started when I began working for his special guard. That was when I first met him. Like most Iraqis and Arabs, I believed that he would be a difficult person, but the truth is that I saw him as a paternal figure,” he added. “When you work with him, you begin to develop a different opinion than the public impression. He was a very paternal figure.”

During their first meeting, they learned that they came from the same tribe and were distant cousins.

“I stayed by Mr. President’s side for around 20 years. I started off as part of his personal guard and he then tasked me with people’s affairs, meaning seeing to their needs and addressing their problems. He was very concerned with the people’s affairs and refused any one of them to be wronged. The truth is that many laws were amended or changed at the time following complaints from the people,” he revealed.

“There were two telephones at Mr. President’s office, and both were connected to my office. Whoever had a problem could call the president through the citizens’ line. I used to answer their calls and listen to their problems and set an appointment with the president. Sometimes I used to ask the caller to come in person with their request so that their problem could be tackled. Sometimes Mr. President would interject on the call to ask about the issue and would request to talk to the citizen on the line,” Mustafa said.

“He would listen to the person’s grievance and tell him to head to the dedicated office to tackle the issue. (...) So we used to receive hundreds of citizens every week to solve their problems. Mr. President was very concerned about these issues,” he stressed. “I have never met another person like him. He would listen, care and then come up with a solution.”

President’s son-in-law

Asharq Al-Awsat asked Mustafa about when he asked Hala to marry him. “It was in 1994. As is the tradition in Iraq, I headed with my uncles to Saddam’s family to ask her hand in marriage,” he said. “One of my uncles made the request to Mr. President on my behalf and he agreed and welcomed it.”

“A judge was summoned immediately for the ceremony, and we were married. We had lunch at the president’s house that same day. I first met Hala on September 12, and we were married on September 26. It was a short engagement in line with tradition.”

“Mr. President used to separate state affairs from his relationship with his family. His work was completely separate from family, which had nothing to do with political or state affairs. It never intervened in those issues. Mr. President was a man of state when he was doing his job, and a father when he came home. He treated his family as if he were its father – the perfect father. Every family wishes to have a father that can measure up to him because he looked after all of his children and all of his relatives,” Mustafa said.

“When he sat down to the dinner table, he himself used to serve his own food and ask his children about their day. He would serve them food and generally cared very much for them. The state is one thing and family is another. At the same time, he acted as a father to all Iraqis. He treated them fairly. This is Saddam Hussein,” stressed Mustafa. “He was always keen that Iraqis be treated justly and that none of them be wronged. He was also very firm with his children if they made any mistake.”

Saddam’s hobbies

Saddam was a “very traditional Arab man. He loved traditional Arab and Iraqi dishes. He himself used to cook his own version of the traditional Iraqi dish al-Habeet. (...) He also loved seafood and would cook the Masgouf fish dish himself,” Mustafa told Asharq Al-Awsat.

His hobbies included horseback riding, hunting, swimming and sharpshooting. “Occasionally, before heading to the front to fight against Iran, he would visit the al-Amarah region, where gazelle and geese are abundant, to hunt. As circumstances became more challenging, he limited himself to fishing, which he did regularly,” he added.

He was a skilled shooter from his youth. “Generally, growing up in a tribe, children are taught at a young age how to become a good shooter. This is part of our upbringing. He was also an avid reader. He was always reading something,” Mustafa said of Saddam.