President Aoun's speech: Leaders welcome it and the street rejects it

Political leaders in Lebanon welcomed the speech of President Michel Aoun, who said that regime change is through constitutional institutions rather than the street, and the demonstrators responded by continuing demonstrations calling for changing the political class in the country.

In his first speech since the start of the protests in Lebanon eight days ago; the Lebanese President called the protesters and demonstrators to meet with a delegation of them to make their demands.

Aoun stressed in a televised speech that the reform paper presented by Prime Minister Saad Hariri will be the first step to resolve the current crisis.

He said he needed the cooperation of all government parties and the House of Representatives to implement the reform and rescue plans, especially after the Taif Agreement.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri, in a tweet on Twitter, welcomed the Lebanese president's call to reconsider the state of affairs in the country through constitutional mechanisms.

Although the authorities approved a "radical" reform plan on Monday, they have been unable to contain the street's angry anger at the political class and its mismanagement of economic crises.

For his part, Chairman of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt - in a tweet via Twitter - that after hearing the speech of President Michel Aoun finds that the best solution is to speed up the government reshuffle, and later call for parliamentary elections, according to a modern law and not sectarian.

My people refused
According to preliminary comments issued by demonstrators in downtown Beirut, Aoun's invitation was not welcomed.

"The street was waiting for a bit of hope, but unfortunately President Aoun spoke today about the generalities we have heard three years ago," Rabah Shahrour, a civil servant in central Beirut, told AFP.

The protesters denounced the speech as being recorded - according to them - considering that every recorded speech is unreliable.

In an interview with Anatolia, MTV's Lebanese journalist and activist Mohammed Dunker, who participated in the sit-in in Beirut, said that Aoun's speech was weak and frail and even weakened the chances of the president staying in office.

Popular protests continue in a number of Lebanese regions for the eighth consecutive day, denouncing the political class and demanding the resignation of the government.

Downtown Beirut, the cities of Tripoli, Tire, Sidon, Nabatieh, Aley and Jal El Dib witnessed gatherings in which participants raised Lebanese flags and banners demanding the punishment of corrupt people and the recovery of looted funds.

Protesters blocked a number of streets in Beirut, and the main roads between the capital and the provinces of the north and south and the Bekaa at several points.

On the other hand, dozens of citizens protested in front of the courtyard of the Palace of Justice in the Baabda area of ​​Mount Lebanon, to express their support for the positions of Lebanese President Michel Aoun.

America and Britain
As part of international stances on the protests in Lebanon, a senior State Department official said the Lebanese people are angry and have the right to be angry with their government for refusing to tackle corruption.

Reuters quoted the official as saying that the protests reflect the demands of the Lebanese to take appropriate measures, adding that Washington supports their right to peaceful demonstration.

The US official said that the protests were expected, and that the indicators of the economic crisis in Lebanon existed. He called on the Lebanese government to initiate reforms demanded by the people.

In this regard, the British Embassy in Beirut has demanded that the demands of the Lebanese people be met and the necessary reforms urgently implemented.

She added in a tweet on Twitter that Britain will continue to support Lebanon to maintain its security and stability by improving services, and through a strong economy that enables everyone to opportunities for quality education.