The President of the Council of Ministers Saad Hariri arrived this afternoon in the town of Ersal as part of his visit to the northern Bekaa.

He headed to the municipality building and was received by a large number of dignitaries and citizens who welcomed him.

Hariri addressed them: "I came to Ersal because it is my duty to come. This area paid a high price as a result of what happened in the past. The people of Ersal opened their homes since the beginning of the Syrian conflict and welcomed the displaced without any precondition or hesitation, but later things got complicated. Our duty as a government is to support the people of Ersal.
The army is carrying out operations in the Bekaa and we will soon get rid of terrorism. We assure the people of Ersal and tell them that they should all return to their homes, and the government will implement several projects for them and approved recently money for Ersal and the area. We will continue at this pace."

He added: "The people of Ersal and the army sacrificed a lot and I tell every person from Ersal that the state and the army will always be by your side. You had difficult times and so did all of Lebanon. But now you are liberated and we will be able to work as a state and as a government. We will implement several necessary and vital projects for the area. The Ersal - Fakha road will be rehabilitated, a public hospital will be built, a secondary school will be constructed, a well will be drilled and the cherry trees will be checked. The government will also pay compensations and hopefully the next season you will be able to benefit from your trees. We will do our best to ensure the services needed by the people of Ersal who suffered a lot".

Question: There are attempts to picture Ersal as an outlaw area. What can you say about this and will the army deploy in Ersal outskirts?
Hariri: The army will deploy in all areas and it will alone protect all the Lebanese territories. Ersal is not an island and is home to heroes and good people. There are attempts to portray the situation in a false way, but the sons of Ersal proved their heroism and patriotism through their steadfastness and this will never be forgotten.

Question: We are in Ersal, between the people of Ersal and Hezbollah, that liberated the Jroud. Why not say "thanks Hezbollah, but we want the army"?

Hariri: Today we are talking about the people of Ersal. The army is liberating the land and isn't asking for any thanks, and I think that whoever works for the interest of the citizen, especially the state, does not wait for appreciation. What is required is to preserve the stability of the country. There are political disputes, but the interest of the country, of Ersal and of the Bekaa is to have the army and the security forces responsible for the security and stability of the borders. Tomorrow the army will deploy on all borders and this is undisputable. The state is doing its job and I say that the most important thing for us is the army.

Question: Can you describe your feelings regarding the liberated lands?

Hariri: The army is fighting battles and exerting great effort and we should be thankful for the soldiers who are fighting for the interest and security of Lebanon. It is our duty to support the army because it is doing its duty in protecting the Lebanese borders, and our duty as state and government is to provide the army with all the capacities to preserve the security and sovereignty of all the territories. What makes me proud is to see the Lebanese army deployed in the mountains, valleys and all over the Lebanese territories. The Lebanese soldiers are sacrificing because they believe that what they are doing is a patriotic message to unite the Lebanese. The army reflects all shades of society and the army is for all Lebanon.

Question: Are we going to raise the flag on the borders?
Hariri: We will soon raise it God willing.

Question: There is a demand to expand the UNSCR 1701 to include the borders you visited today, what do you think?
Hariri: The government did not request this and neither did the Americans. If there is any demand in this respect it would be the government that will ask for it. We did not ask for it because the Lebanese army is able to protect our borders especially these areas. My visit today is not an electoral visit but a national duty.
It is our duty to come to Ersal and see its sufferings especially in light of the presence of 100 thousand displaced Syrians. The people should come and see how Ersal received and welcomed the displaced and some of those who came from Nusra and Daesh tried to sabotage this relation but failed because the people of Ersal are people of dignity, steadfastness and heroism.

You will soon see us holding cabinet sessions in the regions, including northern Bekaa and we may come to Ersal. This government will do everything to tell the people that we are part of the people and we are working for all Lebanon

Source: NNA