Emile Lahoud is the 15th President of Lebanon from Nov. 24, 1998, to Nov. 23, 2007. He was born on January 12, 1936, in the town of Baabdat. He is the son of General Jamil Lahoud, who played a key role in establishing the Lebanese army and strived to achieve independence for the country.
He was elected the 14th President of Lebanon on Nov. 24, 1998. Although his presidency was due to end in Dec.2004, the Lebanese parliament extended his presidency for another three years till 2007 after approving a bill in Sep. 2004.
In an interview with Mehr News Agency, Emile Lahoud expressed his view regarding the latest political events in Lebanon and the region. He believes that Iran will overcome sanctions and become more powerful in the world.
According to Lahoud, The post-coronavirus era is a time for emerging new powers and fundamental change in the balance of power. He further referred to US efforts to eliminate China's economic power before the pandemic and said that currently, the US can only deal with itself.
He also mentioned the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's offer to give him half a million dollars a month for launching attacks on Hezbollah in the south of Lebanon. Hariri's proposal was made when Lahoud was the commander of the Lebanese army, as well as when he was the president and almost forced him to resign.
The former Lebanese president said that although he has not been closely acquainted with Lt. General Soleimani, he believes that his blood has given Iran greater power. Referring to the new developments in Lebanon, Lahoud also noted that Hassan al-Diab is a man of honor and will implement new plans.
What is your assessment of the global pandemic of Coronavirus? Do you see this as a biological war, especially after Russian and Chinese officials blamed the United States?
Everything is feasible. However, in the current situation, and before at least one year since the beginning of the outbreak, we cannot know the truth. This means that at least one year should pass to find the truth. However, based on my comprehensive research, the virus existed in the United States in 2014, and the Americans tried to develop and change its nature to see how dangerous it is to human beings. Some Americans also said on TV that an American professor was responsible for the case, which he worked on for commercial purposes.
The world is very different before and after the pandemic. Are we facing a new world order in the aftermath of the coronavirus?
Undoubtedly, Coronavirus brought disgrace to the whole world and showed the inability of the superpowers to contain it. According to the studies, only one gram of the virus was needed to infect millions of people around the world, meaning that an atomic bomb is insignificant comparing to the virus.
Powerful governments did not find a weapon to fight coronavirus. China was able to contain the pandemic due to its prior prediction. However, the United States, as a "superpower," has not been able to prevent it from spreading, and President Trump has acted foolishly and plunged his nation into this crisis. From this, we realized that the United States is one of the weakest countries, and therefore the balance of power will undoubtedly change, and its consequences will affect all countries in the world, even small ones.
Do you believe that Iran will have a better position in the post-Coronavirus era? Will this pandemic yield positive results for Iran and motivate the country to become more powerful?
Based on my assessment, Iran will become stronger because the United States is a powerful government in the world and has had a significant impact on Iran, but after the outbreak, the United States can only to deal with itself, and as a result, the situation in Iran will immensely improve and the country will become stronger. I have come to believe that Iran will always overcome sanctions and limitations.
Significant developments occurred in the region in 2020, which showed the nature of the Americans better. Despite the fact that the Americans believed that these events had put an end to Iran's influence and active presence in the region, these developments led to the creation of a new chapter in regional events and the emergence of new political literature. The assassination of Lt. General Soleimani, as the most important incident in the region, began a new era for the Axis of Resistance, and of course, the results of this assassination were exactly contrary to the assessment and goals of the Americans. Did the assassination of Lt. General Soleimani weaken Iran, and do you believe that Tehran lost control of the regional developments?
Unfortunately, I did not know Lt. General Soleimani well, but I followed up on issues related to him as I did for other martyrs such as Imad Mughniyeh. But I believe that his blood gave Iran more power. I believe that when a country moves in the right direction, no one can stop it.
I should mention here that Lebanon, as a small Arab government, was able to defeat Israel because it was on the path of truth. I am sure that Iran is right regarding its demands, and therefore, No one can overcome this country by force and blockade, and in the end, it will win. So the United States is focused on Syria and Iran because they are resisting in Lebanon.
Today, Syria is in the final stages of victory. There are many baseless rumors about the differences between Iran and Russia and the role of these two countries in the events occurring in Syria. What is the purpose of these rumors?
In my opinion, Russia and Iran have no differences regarding Syria, and all these rumors are false and baseless. It's just an advertisement from the outside. The function of the Western media outlets is to promote such rumors.
On the contrary, the opposite is true. The strong coalition of Iran and Russia and the Resistance led to the victory of Syria. China has also been on this path, and the United States is deeply concerned about its rise to power. Americans are worried that we become stronger than them. They know very well that we are the ones who will win in the end, because we are right.
Do you think China and the United States will go to war after these major setbacks?
Based on my experience, we will no longer have wars like world war one and two.
In 2000, when Israel withdrew from Lebanon, there was a problem with whether Israel's withdrawal had actually taken place, which was also mentioned at the UN Security Council.
On the first day, China and Russia, which did not have the power they have now, abstained. Voting was re-run on the second day, and we made it clear that there was no retreat. China and Russia avoided addressing the issue on the second day
The Chinese Deputy Prime Minister came to Lebanon a few months later and I met with her. She told me that they were amazed at the power of such a small government that had achieved such great victories. I told her that we hear good things from China but in practice, we don't see anything, on the first day you give a white card to the Security Council, and on the second day, you leave the scene!?
The Chinese Deputy Prime Minister replied that China does not want to interfere in the affairs of countries. We do not have time now to say who is right. Our main task today is to build a great government in China. At that time, I asked how much time is needed to reach this position, and she replied that after 20 years you will see where China is!
It's been 20 years now. Prior to the pandemic, the United States had felt threatened by China's economic power. That's why Trump initially tried to hold talks with China, which did not earn him anything and then turned to threats and sanctions, which caused him losses.
The United States had 10 major global companies, four of which are now owned by China. The United States had to do its best to stop China's economic progress, and if it resorted to war, it would have to pay a lot, so it resorted to the economic war, but after the outbreak, the US economy is no longer the same. All the evidence indicates that China, Russia, Iran, and the BRICS nations are gaining power.
Lebanon is the most dangerous country for Israel, and no one in the United States can run for the presidency without Israel's consent, therefore, Trump must gain Israel's approval to be re-elected. Implementing the Deal of the Century serves to this purpose.
End of part 1 of the interview
Interview by Fadi Boudieh and Mehdi Azizi
MNA/ 4914753
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