President Michel Aoun confirmed in a tweet yesterday on his personal Twitter account that the presidency is outside the target circle, and that the President of the Republic is the one who initiates negotiations on treaties and international agreements, which are then concluded with the Prime Minister, followed by the Cabinet, and finally the Parliament, in accordance with Article 52 of the Constitution. He stated in his tweet: "I regret that a section of the Lebanese, including officials and media figures, are ignorant of the constitution and indulge in nationalistically harmful statements regarding the position of the president, his role, and his oath. The presidency is outside the target circle." He added: "The president initiates negotiations on treaties and international agreements, then concludes them with the Prime Minister, followed by the Cabinet, and finally the Parliament in accordance with Article 52 of the Constitution."
President Aoun received the Minister of National Defense Maurice Sleiman, and they discussed the general situation in the country, recent political developments, the security situation, and the needs of the institutions under the Ministry of Defense, in addition to the status of the military council after the Cabinet appointed two members to it. The discussion also touched on the conditions that military personnel are experiencing and the necessity of providing them with the needed financial support.
He also received the U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Dorothy Shea, where they discussed Lebanese-American relations and recent international developments, along with the steps taken in the file of the southern maritime border demarcation.
Additionally, President Aoun received a phone call from U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, during which they discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance them across various fields, particularly regarding cooperation between the two countries. The discussions also included the stages of negotiations with the International Monetary Fund, the results of the U.S. Treasury delegation's visit to Beirut, the developments of the southern maritime border demarcation file, the process of importing oil and electricity from Egypt and Jordan through Syria, the ongoing preparations for the Lebanese parliamentary elections, as well as the military developments between Russia and Ukraine.
