The media office of former President Michel Aoun stated that since the announcement of Aoun's visit to Damascus, yesterday, Tuesday, and his meeting with President Bashar al-Assad, "interpretations have begun to provide false meanings to the visit, at least some of which can be described as falling within the realm of imagination and malice."
The media office indicated in a statement that "the cheap slander was complemented by a group of misinformation and claims, whether regarding requests for mediation, bolstering the position of the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, or regarding requests for appointments or discussions about candidates' names, among other topics."
It clarified that "President Aoun, who dedicated his life to defending Lebanon's sovereignty and paid the highest prices for its restoration and preservation, assures the new guardians of sovereignty that he will never be one to neglect it and will remain a fighter for its maintenance."
The statement confirmed that "President Aoun, in all his foreign meetings, whether during his presidency or before or after it, has never made a private request related to individuals, nor sought mediation from or for anyone. The malicious campaign that has appeared in some articles today suggesting that one of the aims of the visit is to buoy the Free Patriotic Movement or to bolster Minister Bassil is nothing but a continuation of misinformation and absurdity."
It added: "The height of deception is the distortion of the relationship between President Aoun and Mr. Hassan Nasrallah and the insult to both by spreading falsehoods about the failure to arrange a meeting between them, which is entirely untrue."
The statement concluded: "We no longer genuinely hope for honesty from some media outlets that have engaged in distorting facts and spreading falsehoods, but we maintain hope in the consciousness of a citizen capable of distinguishing between lies and truth, and between falsehood and right."
