Dr. Hassan Diab Cabinet Session - Grand Serail

Dr. Hassan Diab Cabinet Session - Grand Serail

When we formed this Cabinet, we named it “Facing Challenges” Government, because we knew that we would face major accumulations and huge crises. We were not afraid to fight this battle to save the country. We also knew that the sacrifices would be great, and that we would lose a lot. Of course, each of us has his own loss scale. Nevertheless, we were not reluctant and we were convinced that we were carrying out a national rescue mission for the country, the people, and the future of our children.

From the outset, we have said that we will move away from politics. We have no political ambition. We have no electoral desires. We have practiced self-effacement and drowned ourselves in work. A series of workshops. A series of crises. A long series of problems accumulating over decades has exploded all at once, with emerging crises.

Still, we decided to move forward. We will take on these challenges and try to reduce the speed of the collapse and the scale of the shock and damage that will hit the country.

Today we have reached the point of collision. However, unfortunately, over the past weeks, and until now, there are local and external parties that have worked and are working to cause a resounding collision, with a resulting great crash and huge losses.

Unfortunately, there are internal parties that do not care about the future of the country, and are only seeking personal interests, which are covered in political and sectarian calculations. These parties are either external tools used to drag Lebanon into the region's conflicts and turn it into a negotiating card, or are enticing external parties and encouraging them to take hold of the country and negotiate over it at the table of international and regional interests.

All of this raises a set of questions:

Are we unable to deal with the challenges?

Did we lose the confrontation?

Has the government’s role ended?

For me, the picture is clear, and so are the answers.

A basic question is addressed to each one of you: Did anyone think that his entry to the government was a "prestige", and that he did not expect to face difficult challenges?

Of course, I am confident that each of you knew where he was heading to, and knew the challenges awaiting us.

We chose to meet the challenges. We will continue to face them. We know very well that there is a big decision to besiege the country. They are preventing any assistance to Lebanon.

A political and financial blockade is imposed to starve the Lebanese, and at the same time, they claim that they want to help the Lebanese people.

They ask for reforms, and in return they protect corruption, provide immunity to corrupt people, and prevent us from seizing financial files to recover the stolen monies.

They are playing the game of raising the price of the US dollar, speculating on the Lebanese pound, and trying to disrupt the government's measures to tackle the dollar price’s surge.

The dollar game has become exposed and visible.

They demand financial measures, smuggle money abroad, prevent incoming transfers, and block the opening of credits for fuel, diesel, medicine and flour, to cut off electricity to the Lebanese, starve them, and let them die without medicines. Moreover, they claim that they are keen on preserving Lebanon and on providing assistance to the Lebanese people.

We have been silent a lot about diplomatic practices entailing major violations of international norms and diplomacy, for the sake of preserving brotherly relations, belonging, identity and friendships; but this behavior exceeded all familiar brotherly or diplomatic relations.

More seriously, some practices are blatantly interfering in Lebanon's affairs; there have been secret and public meetings; letters written with secret ink; encrypted messages; "WhatsApp" messages; plans and operations order to block roads and cause trouble.

How does the government deal with these plans and projects?

Do we give up? Do we announce our failure? Do we run away to be relieved from this burden and say that the believers are spared from fighting? Do we leave the coast clear? Do we choose confrontation?

Here is the biggest challenge facing us today as a government.

The answer will not be delivered today, but there will certainly be a clear, frank and transparent response, in addition to a definition of responsibilities. We will not overreact. This battle is ours. This country is ours. These people are ours.
We are keen on maintaining brotherly and friendship relations.

But of course, we have many options, and many papers on which to write our letters, but not encoded ones. Our letters are written in clear ink, in a simple and frank language.

We will not accept that the country and the Lebanese people be an internal mailbox serving external interests, negotiations and settlement of accounts.

We will not accept besieging and starving the Lebanese.

As for road cuts, those who are really hungry are not the ones who are necessarily blocking roads.

Road blocking is against people, not against the government.

Blocking roads increases pressure on people, and increases their hardship.

Burning tires will not burn the government, it will burn the remaining oxygen in the country.

Road blocking comes against a clearly political backdrop, by a decision issued by an exposed operations room in terms of identity and control.

The situation is very difficult. True.

The social, living and economic crisis is huge. True.

Therefore, the government is working to break the link between the dollar price and the cost of living. We are in the final stage of accomplishing this task.

The government is not stalling, and road blocking will not prevent it from securing the basic life necessities for the Lebanese.

We will continue to disburse financial aid to families every month. We are gradually increasing the number of beneficiary families.

There is an ongoing plan to support industry, agriculture, as well as public and private schools.

Thus, we will have reduced the bill of the food basket, consumer goods, as well as other burdens on citizens.

We will face the attempt to starve the Lebanese with graduated measures and procedures in all fields.

CONTACT THE TEAM

Contact HD Team on Twitter

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.