Lebanon

Al-Sayygh: We Refuse to Live in Lebanon as Hostages to Regional Project Owners

Al-Sayygh: We Refuse to Live in Lebanon as Hostages to Regional Project Owners

Deputy Salim Al-Sayygh stated: "What our country needs is the concerted efforts of everyone to save what remains of Lebanon. There are many good ideas, but the successful Lebanese diaspora must implement its ideas and move towards the practical aspect, especially since Lebanon will only rise with the efforts of its youth, particularly with the experience of its expatriate youth." Al-Sayygh's comments came during a dialogue table in Australia attended by representatives of Australian entities from the government, legislative council, local authorities, chambers of commerce and industry, media institutions, as well as members of the Lebanese community in Sydney. He indicated that "if Lebanon loses its role, it loses its justification for existence. If Lebanon loses the justification for its existence, it will fade away and dissolve in its surroundings, becoming just like any other country without the message that made it more than a homeland. This message is the strongest weapon against all enemies and adversaries, especially Israel. What we are witnessing today in terms of conflicts in the Middle East, and the attempts by some to frame it within ethnic, sectarian, and denominational conflicts, is a reckless return to what is called the clash of civilizations, while Lebanon's message is a stronger response than all the fleets moving and the missiles launched from every direction."

He added: "Beirut will remain, despite all the tragedies it has gone through and is going through, the leading city on the Mediterranean Sea. Despite the sounds of shells in the south, Beirut hosted a book fair. Beirut is the capital of civilization and coexistence, a space for democracy and diverse opinions, and an exemplary capital with its people, nature, and spirit in spite of its deep wounds. It is the city that we will not allow to have its values killed, and we must therefore protect it and prevent its destruction for free for external projects."

Al-Sayygh emphasized that "the majority of the Lebanese people do not support war and do not want it. The Lebanese people are loving and hospitable and carry humanitarian issues with all the peoples of the world, and we refuse to live in Lebanon as hostages controlled by owners of regional projects that have nothing to do with Lebanon or the Lebanese cause, and we all have to allow our memory to recover past events." He asked: "Is there any country in the world that has carried the Palestinian cause more than Lebanon and the Lebanese people?" He stressed that "Lebanon can support the just Palestinian cause without destroying itself more and more."

In response to a question about how to exert pressure on Hezbollah to prevent dragging Lebanon into war, Al-Sayygh answered: "There are two ways to pressure them: the first is by the Lebanese refusing to enter into war and preventing its political and official coverage. This is reflected in the media and advertising campaign launched in Beirut against the war, which fills social media pages. The second is through diplomatic mobilization by increasing pressure on Iran to prevent it from dragging Lebanon into war."

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