Lieutenant General Abbas Ibrahim asserted today that "initiatives are unable to make a breakthrough in the Lebanese arena, and the reason is that we are dragging external parties into internal matters, which complicates the task." He stated, "The solution is to engage in dialogue. What President Nabih Berri has suggested is a path for resolution, not as some portray it as a halt to his initiative; it is a motivation for everyone to engage in dialogue." Ibrahim viewed the "presidential void phase that Lebanon is currently experiencing as a deadly phase," noting that "there is no president for the republic in the foreseeable future, especially since this matter has an international and regional dimension, and so far, nothing has matured; this is because political forces have given this matter such a dimension and are unable to bear the consequences of it."
He said, "Anyone trying to help Lebanon navigate this crisis has interests that take precedence over our interests, complicating matters." He added, "Everything that has happened to us, we bear responsibility for as a people due to our sectarian and confessional alignments." He called for a search for new foundations "and for cooperation to reach a modern electoral law and to work on enacting laws that stipulate the separation of politics from administration, because when politicians interfere in administration, security, and justice, we reach administrative crises within institutions."
He emphasized that "solving the Syrian refugee crisis requires political courage to raise the issue in international forums like one Jordanian minister did recently." He remarked, "Unfortunately, there is official shortcoming on this issue, and some use the Caesar Act as an excuse, but ironically, the Caesar Act has nothing to do with such issues. We must have the courage to discard the notion of seeking permission from abroad for every minor matter." He concluded by urging the relevant parties to "act in accordance with the interests of the Lebanese people, which should be the guiding compass."
