Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri welcomed a large delegation from the youth and student sector of the "Future Movement" this afternoon at "Bayt Al-Wasat," in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Movement, Ahmed Hariri. During the meeting, he spoke about his suspension of political work, asserting that he made this decision when he realized that old faces would reappear with the same stances and mentality. He stated that the Future Movement, as a political bloc, would not be able to achieve accomplishments, while achievement is fundamental to the objectives of any political endeavor. He noted that if people still remember the martyred president today, it is due to the numerous accomplishments he left behind, as well as his moderate approach and openness to all parties.
Hariri emphasized that each young man and woman present is a new project for Rafik Hariri for the nation, highlighting that this generation will witness developments in the world that previous generations have not seen, especially through the ongoing technological advancements and artificial intelligence, which will change people's lives. He pointed out that Lebanon must eventually achieve the sought-after stability, and thus the youth generation in this country must be present to keep pace with every development.
He mentioned that "the stage Lebanon is currently going through can be regarded as a stage of political madness, where each party believes itself to be greater than its country and clings to its political positions." He further explained, "My way of working personally in politics was different. We established a truce with Hezbollah, rising above all disagreements that arose with other parties, and we were careful not to make these differences public. I always took matters to heart and tried to manage the affairs of the country, as my duty was to manage the state's affairs, develop the economy, improve the work of the institutions that the state rests upon, and implement necessary reforms, rather than clinging to my political positions. This was my focus, and I never cared about what was said about me, as my main concern was to achieve accomplishments and reforms. Unfortunately, the prevailing mentality brought me to a point where I became tired of stating that I could not achieve anything, leading me to decide to suspend political work. Perhaps today, people realize what I was subjected to in terms of attempts at treason and unfounded accusations against me."
He added, "If I had remained in political work, I would have been compelled to negotiate again and make compromises, bearing the sole responsibility for them. In the end, I would carry all the blame. Now, however, everyone claims to love Saad Hariri. So, I decided to step back and let people see the truth."
He pointed out that "the Future Movement had been retreating over the past two years, but now we will intensify our work, not on political matters, but we affirm that we will not remain silent regarding any attempts to oppress those affiliated with the Future Movement within the state and outside it."
He stressed that "we will stand against anyone who leans toward extremism, as this is forbidden for us," adding, "Moderation is fundamental; with moderation, you can manage a country, while with the extremism we see, we cannot reach any outcomes. Each one believes their extremist stance is the only correct one. A prime example of this extremism is what we see in the Israeli government, which has led to the massacres and killing of children and innocents."
He concluded, "You are the movement of moderation; this is not weakness, and the independent movement will not allow any form of extremism. Our extremism is only for moderation and for Lebanon, nothing else. Hence, we adhere to the slogan 'Lebanon First.' I rely on you to build a prosperous future for Lebanon."
