Lebanese Ministry of Information
President Michel Aoun said any new government’s first task will be to follow up on combating corruption, during a meeting Monday with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis.
“The investigation will include all officials in all levels of public administrations,” Aoun said, according to a statement from the president’s office.
Aoun said reforms he had promised to implement would “correct the path of the state and [ensure] transparency in all of [the state’s] institutions,” calling for the support of the Lebanese people for these reforms.
In a speech last week marking the start of his fourth year in office, Aoun pledged “to pursue the war against corruption … to push toward a productive economy … [and] not to spare any effort to establish the modern civil state and get rid of confessionalism.”
The president Monday said his calls to protesters “reflected his understanding of their demands,” noting that discussions must be held with them “to reach an agreement on the stated issues.”
Aoun’s promises have failed to convince demonstrators, who took to the streets and blocked major highways again on Monday, the 19th day of a nationwide uprising against the ruling elite.
The Daily Star
