MP Michel Zaher considered that the issue of the presidency has been resolved in favor of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, urging deputies to head to the Parliament and elect a president today before tomorrow, emphasizing that the situation can no longer bear more vacuum and delay. Zaher, in a statement to the Kuwaiti newspaper "Al-Anbaa", pointed out that there is a settlement being worked on in the region, which could immediately lead us to elect a president, but he hopes the settlement will proceed while they are on their feet, not destroyed. He estimated that the settlement might be an Arab-regional one, seemingly initiated to calm the situation in the region, hoping it would lead to electing the Army Commander as president.
Regarding the talk of a trade-off between implementing UN Resolution 1701 and releasing the presidency, Zaher considered this claim far from the truth, viewing that Israel wants to implement Resolution 1701 without any trade-offs, indicating that what protects Lebanon from an Israeli war is the enforcement of UN Resolution 1701, which denies Israel any justification to launch attacks on Lebanon.
He added: Lebanon has paid a heavy price concerning the Palestinian cause; therefore, we cannot open a war on Lebanon and other countries while calm prevails on the borders. As the Lebanese people, we can no longer endure more wars and crises.
In response to a question about fears of an Israeli war on Lebanon, Zaher said: The enemy's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in trouble and considers that a battle in Lebanon could save him, so we hope not to give him justification, especially since Israel has deviated from the rules of engagement by expanding its attacks, the latest of which was the assassination of a Hamas leader in the southern suburbs, in addition to daily shelling and assassinations in southern Lebanese villages.
Zaher continued: Yes, Israel wants to drag Lebanon into war, and we, on our side, must not give them any justification. Let us implement Resolution 1701 and address the 13 contentious points, otherwise, our situation will be very difficult, as Israel tries to take advantage of international support to carry out aggressive actions against Lebanon, without regard for international charters and laws, at a time when Lebanon is living under difficult conditions. Therefore, we must not give them any excuse to wage war; we are living in tragedy, and now is not the time for war.
