He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Mikati was behind not extending his term
Thursday – 16 Shaaban 1444 AH – 09 March 2023 AD Issue Number [16172]
Beirut: Thaer Abbas
A week following leaving his post as Director of Public Security in Lebanon, Major General Abbas Ibrahim spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat regarding his “dramatic” departure. While he refused to point out who was responsible for the failure of attempts to extend his term, he hinted at the prime minister, saying that President Najib Mikati had sounded the real “whistleblower” to stop the extension, when he said that he “will rely on the law on this issue and spoke in a way that caused confusion among citizens and the political authority, knowing that a group of Among the legalists, legal ways out were found for the extension, but they were not taken.
Ibrahim confirmed that he had informed “those concerned” five months ago that he did not wish to remain in office, and acquiesced in the idea of a “temporary extension” pending the election of a president and the formation of a full-fledged government that might appoint an authentic general director for public security.
In his assessment of the work of politicians in Lebanon, he said that action and reaction prevail over political opinion. He added, “This mentality will have bad results if it continues… We must get out of it… This political performance is a devastating performance for Lebanon.”
Ibrahim talked regarding his role as the “republican mediator” when he moved between officials, trying to bridge points of view. He says that he succeeded in some files and failed in others due to political differences. When asked regarding the multiplicity of security services in Lebanon, he said that the reason is that there is a “crowd of sects” in Lebanon. He added, “The time has come for us to become citizens of this country, and become more religious and less sectarian.”