President Michel Aoun stressed Wednesday the cabinet formation crisis is not one of a kind but it has been causing a waste time that cannot be taken back, adding “Lebanon does not longer have the luxury of wasting time in this regard.”

“An independent nation is a nation that decides its own fate, controls its lands and be able to take decisions that concern its affairs without foreign intervention, which only takes away the freedom of decision,” he explained.

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In a speech he delivered on the occasion of Independence Day, Aoun emphasized that the independence and sovereignty of a nation must remain outside the equation of opposition and loyalty to the regime, as well as outside the framework of the battle for power, adding that the disputes must not be over the country, but over politics.

On the economic level, the president vowed to personally work, with all the powers vested in him and in cooperation with Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, to move the economy forward, rationalize the expenditures, put an end to public funds waste, improve services and infrastructure and follow up on corruption cases with the concerned authorities.

He continued his speech, calling upon all officials, parties, movements and sects to put aside all disputes and personal interests and assume responsibility toward the people who delegated them to protect their fate and dignity.

He also tackled the issue of the refugees, saying that some parties have been obstructing the return of the Syrians to their country through spreading fear among them, so that the refugees chose to stay in Lebanon or decide to wait for a political solution for the crisis in Syria before returning.