Deputy Ali Hassan Khalil delivered a speech during the annual graduation ceremony for students of the Islamic University at the university complex in the town of Wardaniyeh, where he addressed the political situation in Lebanon. He stated: "We had hoped to enter this hall today to bring you the good news of an agreement and understanding to restore order to our constitutional and political life, following the initiative launched by President Nabih Berri a month ago on the anniversary of Imam Musa al-Sadr's disappearance, when he proposed a dialogue initiative inviting political forces and parliamentary blocs to come together to elect a new president for the republic."
He added: "Unfortunately, we have witnessed in recent weeks and days how some have dealt with this crisis in a manner of challenge and position-taking, distancing themselves from realism, ignoring the lessons of the past, and negating the need for dialogue and meeting, regardless of the legitimacy of one's position. This has led to the squander of this opportunity and a return to a stalemate that wastes our time and possibilities, increasing various pressures on a country that has been worn down by political vendettas and the deliberate obstruction of institutions."
Khalil continued: "It does not benefit some to raise their demands to levels that they themselves recognize are difficult to achieve, and no one threatens us, regardless of their intentions, whether through federalism, self-management, or amendments to the essence of our system. No one should assume that they represent the entire path of national interest while offering their narrow slogans to bolster their own position. Unfortunately, there exist in this country individuals who view the collapse of institutions and state management, as well as the disintegration of everything that unites the Lebanese, as an opportunity for their imagined nation-building according to their desires or according to their notions of role and position, disregarding the necessity of benefiting from both the distant and recent past."
He further stated: "To those individuals, we say again: the Lebanon we desire is a unified state, a modern and developed state that embraces everyone, in a homeland of shared living among its spiritual communities, a meeting place for civilizations, religions, and cultures, a homeland capable of managing its crises through dialogue, understanding, and genuine democracy. We seek a nation committed to its national covenant, and we work on fully implementing this covenant according to constitutional mechanisms, from administrative decentralization to the abolition of political sectarianism, and building a civil state leading to true citizenship, where everyone feels equality based on their genuine belonging to this homeland."
Khalil concluded: "As we have facilitated all initiatives, whether external or internal, at the level of the French initiative, the quintet committee, and finally the Qatari initiative, we remain committed to facilitating all attempts. However, the fundamental aspect remains the coming together of the Lebanese and their own dialogue and ability to reach understanding to emerge from the crisis."
