Suleiman Voices Shame and Pride at End of his Term
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
President Michel Suleiman expressed pride and shame at the end of his tenure, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Friday.
According to the daily, Suleiman told the employees of the Baabda Palace in a farewell meeting that he was at first ashamed to be elected as a president after the May 7, 2008 incident but now he feels proud for leaving the post in accordance with the democratic norms.
On May 7, 2008 Beirut witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Hizbullah opposition and pro-government gunmen following a decision by the government, then headed by Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, to dismantle Hizbullah’s private telecommunications network.
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah deemed the incident as a “glorious day” for the resistance, while the March 14 alliance described it as one of the most troubling developments in recent years.
The outgoing president, who is expected to leave the office on Saturday after a ceremony held at the Baabda Palace, said that he wanted to end his term by handing over the presidency to his successor and not with vacuum prevailing in the country.
“I had a dream to hand over the presidency to a new head of state elected by the parliament but this wasn't achievable,” Suleiman said at the end of his six-year term.
The parliament failed anew on Thursday to elect a president in a fifth session of its kind, raising fears that the vacuum in the country's top Christian post would affect Lebanon's power-sharing agreement under which the president should be a Maronite, the premier a Sunni and the speaker a Shiite.
H.K.
G.K.
23 May 2014, 08:11
12
"According to the daily, Suleiman told the employees of the Baabda Palace in a farewell meeting that he was at first ashamed to be elected as a president after the May 7, 2008 incident but now he feels proud for leaving the post in accordance with the democratic norms."
Very very true.. He was HA favorite candidate in 2008 and six years later he is their favorite enemy.
23 May 2014, 08:34
24
"President Michel Suleiman expressed pride and shame at the end of his tenure"... well said.
He is a good President that stood up for Lebanon, at least he will no longer have to deal with all the conniving backstabbers that have taken over the country.
23 May 2014, 08:35
24
He is leaving stronger than when he came in. A rarity for a Lebanese president
23 May 2014, 09:09
11
Job Well Done President. You should not leave until a new President is elected.
23 May 2014, 09:49
81
Good to see Suleiman finally leave. His presidency was characterized by his shameless subordination to the kingdom of terrorism and his selling out of Lebanon to the GCC terrorists. It is high time that a pro-Lebanese President, not a pro-Saudi President, came to Baabda.
Let Suleiman retire to Riyadh. He was a complete failure.
23 May 2014, 11:53
31
bye bye mr president still have 2 days and then you ll be history
and special salutation to lutfallah
24 May 2014, 07:53
00
Time for the people to start electing the position of President... That will avoid all this wasted time in parliment. Election for the seat of President by the people and let them start doing their work to improve our country. Stop waisting time... money, and leaving Lebanon falling behind the rest of the world!
