President
Michel Slieman’s Inauguration Speech
May 25/08
(Rough, unofficial Los Angeles Times
translation):
We would have liked to start our mandate with minutes of joy, but I am sure
that our silence will be hailed by the spirits of our martyrs who are close to
our God, since it establishes a new promising phase for the children of the
nation who are awakening from a sleep, thanks to their awareness and their
rejection of killing one another, and thanks to the work of the loyal ones and
the brothers for bringing down the sins and wiping out the repercussions.
Today through my constitutional oath, I call on you all, political forces and
citizens, to start a new phase with Lebanon and the Lebanese as its headline,
and with a commitment to a national project we agree on with a progressive mind
that serves the nation and its interests as a priority before our sectarian
interests.
The political stability we are looking for compels us to empower constitutional
institutions, where political ideas and differences should remain, in order to
reach common aspects guaranteeing the interest of the nation and its children.
The political dispute and the constitutional complications it generated should
constitute an incentive to us not only to find solutions to what we might fall
into in the future but also to reach the needed balance between rights and
duties so as to allow institutions including the presidency to fulfill their
duties.
Eminent lawmakers, the people have entrusted us to fulfill their ambitions and
not to puzzle them with our narrow political disputes. What was
most dangerous during the last years were political speeches revolving around
betrayal and accusations leading to distance and dispute, especially among the
youth.
Therefore, we should be aware and work on consolidating the nation and unity by
promoting the dialogue of cultures and not by turning it into an arena for
struggles.
The main quality of democracy is the rotation of power through free elections.
It's important to adopt a fair electoral law that strengthens the relationship
between the voter and the elected and guarantees that the choices and the
visions of the people are achieved. But what is more important is accepting the
results of these elections and respecting the will of the people.
The independence of the judiciary safeguards justice and provides a haven for
every righteous person. . . . It is our responsibility to encourage young
talents to join the public sector to prevent it from wearing out and to allow
us to reach a more efficient and younger administration. . . .
Ladies and gentlemen, dissipating the fears of young men and women is achieved
by building a nation they feel proud to belong to and that rises with their
capacities, their experiences and their participation in finding solutions. Let
them, they who resisted terrorism and occupation and revolted for independence,
lead us out of our failures. They are the future. . . .
Getting out of recession and strengthening the economic cycle requires
political stability and security as well as sponsoring from the state that
encourages and promotes a competitive productive process. Attracting
investments and finding a friendly environment for that leads to fighting
unemployment and containing emigration. . . .
Abiding by the charter of the United Nations and respecting its decisions is
the result of our solid belief in international legitimacy, which is derived
from right and justice. We emphasize our participation in the establishment of
the international tribunal for Prime Minister [Rafik]
Hariri's assassination. . . .
This day coincides with the national anniversary of the liberation and the
victory. Let this be an incentive for us to be more aware of the traps and to
renew our attachment to freedom and democracy. . . .
And here comes the role of perseverance to liberate our prisoners and uncover
the fate of the disappeared and bring back our sons who have sought refuge in
We have always been keen on strengthening the bonds that link us to our
brothers the Arabs, and in this respect we look strongly for brotherly
relations between
The state cannot ignore any violation of security and peace and will not allow
in any case that some would be used as a fuel for terrorism and that some use
the holiness of the Palestinian cause to arm themselves leading to insecurity,
like last year when the army was attacked. . . .
The armed forces and mainly the army have gained the trust of the Lebanese
people during the last years for their historical and important achievements:
preserving democracy and civil peace, deploying in the south after more than
three decades, and facing the enemy and terrorism. And they paid their best men
as a price. But the latest security incidents left a feeling that the armed
forces did not carry well their duties. Therefore keeping a minimum level of
entente and providing a political cover are important in preventing incidents
in the future. . . .
Lebanese men and women, a lot is awaiting us, my oath is a commitment from my
side. . . . We won't drown in promises. We will approach the realities on the
ground with our capacities and taking advantage of the support of our brothers
and friends to overcome difficulties. Let's unite and move forward toward a
firm reconciliation to provide our children with hope and launch pioneering and
creative initiatives and work to achieve a capable civil state based on the
respect of public liberties, beliefs and freedom of expression. We paid a dear
price for our national unity. Let us preserve it together, and God stands with
the community.
Long live