Aoun: Corrupt System Controls Lebanon

President Michel Aoun meets with a youth delegation at the Baabda palace on Sunday. (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with a youth delegation at the Baabda palace on Sunday. (NNA)
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Aoun: Corrupt System Controls Lebanon

President Michel Aoun meets with a youth delegation at the Baabda palace on Sunday. (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with a youth delegation at the Baabda palace on Sunday. (NNA)

Lebanese President Michel Aoun continued on Sunday his verbal campaign against what he calls the corrupt system, which he said controls the country and fears accountability.

“Failure of every plan for financial and economic recovery means one thing, which is that the corrupt system that still controls the country and the people fears accountability,” he said during a meeting with a youth delegation at the Baabda Palace.

Aoun explained that a recovery plan stems from three main pillars: identifying losses, defining responsibilities and accountability, and determining treatment methods.

He added that the failure to determine the financial losses and their distribution between the central bank, banks and the state led to two serious matters: First, ignoring those responsible for the financial ruin of the country and second, holding the Lebanese people solely responsible for the financial collapse, and depleting their deposits.

“The people must know who is humiliating them on a daily basis as they try to obtain their most basic rights and who is preventing them from freely accessing their money at banks,” Aoun said.

He added that every popular revolution must aim to identify and distribute losses, define responsibilities, hold officials accountable, and find solutions and identify those who caused the financial disaster.

The people alone should not be held responsible for the crisis, he urged.



Islamic Consensus in Istanbul on Need for Solidarity Against Israeli Escalation

A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
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Islamic Consensus in Istanbul on Need for Solidarity Against Israeli Escalation

A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)
A commemorative photo of the ministers and officials participating in the 51st session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Council in Istanbul (AFP)

The 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Istanbul, witnessed a clear consensus among member states on the need for unity and solidarity in the face of Israel’s ongoing escalation. This comes amid continued international silence on the violations committed in Gaza and Israel’s expanding attacks into Lebanon, Syria, and Iran.
 
In his opening speech, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stated that the world’s silence on Israel’s aggressive policies in Palestine has only encouraged its regional expansion. He asserted that the coming period will see a “much greater role for the Islamic world, which must become an independent global power.”
 
Erdogan urged Islamic nations to overcome internal disputes and unite in defending their common causes. He warned that Netanyahu’s “Zionist ambitions” could push the world into catastrophe, likening the threat to that of Adolf Hitler, whose ambitions ignited World War II.
 
Regarding Iran, Erdogan stressed that defending oneself against Israeli attacks is a legitimate right, stating: “There is no difference between an attack on Tehran, Istanbul, Makkah, or Madinah - they share the same fate.”

He also warned against attempts to impose a “new Sykes-Picot” agreement on the region. He added that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is worse than Nazi concentration camps, with over two million Palestinians struggling to survive under siege for nearly two years.
 
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who assumed the presidency of the session, warned that Israel is dragging the region to the brink of total catastrophe.
He stressed that the core issue is not about Palestine, Iran, Lebanon, or others. It is “an Israeli problem,” he said. He further called for a firm stance against the aggression and praised Egypt and Qatar for their ongoing efforts to mediate a ceasefire.
 
Fidan criticized the failure of international mechanisms, particularly the UN Security Council, in addressing the ongoing atrocities in Gaza.
 
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit also condemned any targeting of nuclear facilities in Iran, warning of severe humanitarian and environmental consequences. He said that expanding the war will not bring peace and stressed the necessity of returning to diplomacy, referencing past successful negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.
 
Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Albudaiwi condemned Israel’s violations of international law and sovereignty in its attacks on Iran. He called for restraint, a return to diplomacy, and praised Oman’s mediation between the US and Iran.
 
Closed sessions were held in Istanbul to discuss developments in Gaza and Iran’s nuclear negotiations. A special Arab ministerial meeting also took place, denouncing the Israeli aggression against Iran and calling for urgent efforts to de-escalate.