Reports | 1 11 2016
The Lebanese parliament in a session held on Monday, elected Michel Aoun as a president, ending a constitutional void period lasted for two years and a half.
Aoun won the votes of 83 deputies out of 127 who attended the session, while 36 deputies handed blank papers, and the Speaker of Parliament revoked seven votes in the second round of voting.
Michel Aoun's relationship with the Syrian regime
Gen. Michel Aoun, "President of the Republic" did not hide his support for the Syrian regime led by Bashar al-Assad, despite being forced to flee from Beirut after the Syrian forces led by Hafez al-Assad invaded the presidential palace of Baabda in 1990, which was the place of residence of Aoun and his family at that time. Where siege and bombardment continued on the Palace, forcing the Gen. to leave his family and flee to the French embassy, which secured his release to Paris in August 1991, while he remained hiding in the French embassy in Beirut a period of 319 days, running away from the Syrian army.
Gen. Michel Aoun remained for 15 years in Paris to escape the Syrian regime army and the Syrian intelligence, and he talked about the corruption experienced by Syria because of the Assad family's rule, and he expressed his hostile attitude for all the Syrian policies, especially in Lebanon.
In the fall of 2004, Michel Aoun called for a Lebanese national dialogue in order to deal with the new phase in the history of Lebanon, after Syrian Army was about to withdraw from Lebanon, but no one has responded to this appeal.
After that the Syrian army was forced to withdraw from Lebanon, after the Lebanese Cedar Revolution and the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
So, Michel Aoun returned to Beirut on the sixth of May 2005 after asylum lasted almost 15 years, and signed a memorandum with Hassan Nasrallah - General Secretary of Hezbollah-, the document focused on 10 issues related to the Lebanese affairs, what led to a violent campaign of criticism accuses Michel Aoun of being a defender of the Syrian-Iranian line. After that he paid an official visit to Syria after political break with the Syrian regime for nearly 18 years, during which he restored relations with the Syrian regime.
First speech as president of the Republic ..
The Syrians today are watching cautiously after Michel Aoun win the Presidency of the Republic, as he is known for his advocacy of the Syrian regime and Hezbollah against the Syrian revolution, describing it in several interviews as "It is not a revolution but a riot, and the army has the right to eliminate it", he is also known for his antagonism to the presence of Syrian refugees on Lebanese territory.
In his speech on Monday, Aoun said: "We will work to secure a return to the Syrians to their country as fast as we can, and not to convert the camps into reserves, and that will be in collaboration with relevant countries and in coordination with the United Nations, stressing that there will be no solution in Syria does not start with the return of Syrians to their country."