Aoun Decries Constitutional Chaos, Says It is Difficult to Run a State with Three Heads

President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of European Union ambassadors. (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of European Union ambassadors. (NNA)
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Aoun Decries Constitutional Chaos, Says It is Difficult to Run a State with Three Heads

President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of European Union ambassadors. (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with a delegation of European Union ambassadors. (NNA)

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said he was working on “forming a government of full powers”, which would assume all of the presidential authorities if no agreement was reached on his successor at the end of the presidential tenure on Oct. 31.

“Lebanon needs political and sovereign reform, in addition to structural changes in the system,” Aoun said, pointing to “constitutional chaos under a caretaker government and a newly elected parliament with divergent affiliations.”

The Lebanese president stressed that it was difficult to manage the state with the presence of “three heads.”

He referred to efforts to obstruct the investigations into the explosion of the port of Beirut and into the responsibility of the Banque du Liban for the current monetary crisis.

Aoun was addressing a delegation of European Union ambassadors, headed by Ambassador Ralph Tarraf, who underlined the importance of Lebanon implementing reforms and respecting constitutional deadlines, in particular the presidential elections.

“Political and economic reasons come at the forefront of the factors of the crisis that Lebanon is currently witnessing,” Aoun said, pointing to “the corruption that plagued (the system) that was ruling in the past, in addition to mistakes committed in managing the deposits in the Central Bank.”

“Lebanon today needs political and sovereign reforms, in addition to structural changes in the system,” the president remarked.

For his part, Tarraf said: “More than three years have passed since the economic system started to decline and more than two and a half years since Lebanon failed to pay its debts and the government submitted a financial recovery plan, while the Lebanese decision-makers are still unable to implement the necessary measures to get Lebanon out of the crisis.”

French Ambassador Anne Grillo said that her country had stressed, since the CEDRE conference, on the need to adopt new rules for work.

“We are all witnessing the decline of the Lebanese institutions… As members of the EU, we are ready to help Lebanon and assume our role in the international community in this context, but in return we must be able to convince the concerned authorities of the commitment of the Lebanese authorities to the required reforms,” she told Aoun.



Moscow Open to Dialogue with Trump on Syria

The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)
The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)
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Moscow Open to Dialogue with Trump on Syria

The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)
The Russian Foreign Minister during a meeting last week in the Kazakh capital, Astana (Reuters)

Russia, Iran, and Türkiye have called for an end to Israel’s military escalation in the Middle East, expressing concern over the worsening regional situation and warning of negative impacts on Syria.
At the conclusion of the 22nd round of Syria talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, the three countries reaffirmed their commitment to a political solution, focused on restarting the work of the Constitutional Committee.
The escalation in the region, combined with the uncertainty following US President-elect Donald Trump’s victory, was a major topic of discussion in Astana, both during bilateral talks and in broader sessions.
The Russian delegation was led by Alexander Lavrentiev, Special Representative for Syria, while Iran’s delegation was headed by Ali Asghar Haji, Senior Political Advisor to the Foreign Minister. Türkiye’s delegation was led by Ambassador Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul, Director-General for Syrian Affairs at the Foreign Ministry.
The Syrian government delegation, led by Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Riad, and the opposition delegation, led by Ahmad Tohme, were also present.
Representatives from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), along with observers from Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq, attended the talks.
UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen was also present.
Sources at the meetings told Asharq Al-Awsat that much of the discussion focused on the impact of ongoing Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and Lebanon and their effects on Syria, particularly amid Israel’s efforts to expand the conflict.
There was a strong emphasis on preventing Syria from becoming further embroiled in the growing conflict. Additionally, the impact of Trump’s election on US policy towards the region and Syria was widely discussed, with increasing speculation that Trump might follow through on promises to withdraw US troops from Syria.
This issue was highlighted by Russia’s envoy, Lavrentiev, at the close of the talks.
Lavrentiev stated that Russia is open to talks with the new US administration once it is in place to discuss issues related to Syria.
“If there are proposals, Russia is open and ready to continue communication with the US,” he added.
According to Lavrentiev, “Some compromises can only be reached through negotiations.”
A source from the Syrian opposition, speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, said there is a shared view that a US withdrawal from Syria is “not inevitable, even if Trump has mentioned it.”
The source noted that Trump has become more pragmatic and responsive to the "deep state," with a better understanding of foreign policy.
The source also pointed out that Türkiye shares this view. While Ankara wants the US to leave, it does not want a unilateral withdrawal without coordination, especially since the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are open to talks with both the Syrian government and Russia.

The discussions also highlighted that, despite Israel's efforts to reduce Iranian influence in the region, it is unlikely that Trump will push for a withdrawal under the current situation.