Aoun Renews Call for Excellent Relations with Damascus

Source: Al-Manar TV, 15-11-2008
Once again, the head of the Change and Reform parliamentary bloc MP Michel Aoun expressed on Saturday belief that the Lebanese national opposition would emerge victorious of the 2009 forthcoming parliamentary elections. "The real victory will come during the parliamentary elections, which will lead to a change in government in order to improve the current situation, which is getting worse every day," Aoun said.
Speaking before a delegation of Business Faculty students at the Lebanese University on Saturday, Aoun said that while the FPM participated in the cabinet, ministers were discovering the existence of many conspiracies that occurred during the past 16 years.
"We cannot accept that the same persons, who spread conspiracies in Lebanon, remain in power," he said, calling for change as a "duty."
Aoun, who announced to Al-Manar on Thursday that he'll visit Syria very soon for the first time, renewed his call for excellent relations with Damascus, on the basis of ending controversial issues, especially with regard to the issue of missing persons. He noted that he had always called for normal relations with Syria once it had withdrawn from Lebanon.
Earlier, the General told pan-Arab daily Asharq-al-Awsat that discussions on the issue of the missing Lebanese in Syrian prisons were not a precondition for his visit to Damascus, while affirming that this issue should be resolved. He pointed out that some of the missing persons had died in prison while others died in Lebanon and were not taken to Syria.
Aoun said that his visit to Iran earlier this month did not prevent him from visiting other Arab countries, including Egypt. He added that he was looking to forge friendships because he said the Lebanese situation could not improve while there was enmity with any country.
He stressed that the Iranians intended to honor him for his support of the Resistance during the "Israeli" 2006 July War against Lebanon and for his political agreements, referring to his party's Memorandum of Understanding with Hizbullah.
He confirmed he did not make any deals during his visit to Tehran because his visit did not have official status and that the Iranian authorities have the same vision as the Free Patriotic Movement.