Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri pledged on Thursday to protect the Taif accord and refused to remain silent to any attempt to paralyze the government.
He pledged “not to abandon Taif, or accept the breach of Taif.”
“We are the guardians of the Taif agreement, today and tomorrow!,” the PM said in a speech delivered at a ceremony organized by his Mustaqbal movement at the Sea Side Arena Center for the 14th commemoration of the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Hariri said that 2019 would be the year of justice that he has been waiting for to know the truth about his father’s murder.
In the ceremony, attended by representatives from all Lebanese parties, except for Hezbollah, the PM said Beirut is not a state affiliated with any axis and is not a theater for the arms race in the region.
He said Lebanon should deal with challenges to give the country a real rescue opportunity.
“President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and I decided to turn the Council of Ministers and Parliament into a work cell,” Hariri told the crowds.
“It is not reasonable, after all the hard work exerted at the CEDRE Conference (held in Paris last April) and with the international community, to return to the politics of no solutions or that cabinet returns to political unkindness,” the PM said.
On the issue of Syrian refugees, Hariri said Lebanon’s interest lies in their return to their country in a dignified and safe manner.
“The best thing we can do for the displaced is to work for their return to their country, voluntarily, and I emphasize on the world voluntary,” he said, while calling on the international community to take additional practical steps that end the tragedy of the displacement.
