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PART 2  (Translated freely: By Elias Bejjani) An army officer told me this story: Mr. Naiem Elias Aoun, General Michel Aoun's nephew applied to the Military Academy during General Aoun's reign (as Prime Minister 1988-1989). Mr. Naiem wrote the designated Academy entering exam, and fulfilled perfectly, all other pre-requisites. General Aoun personally insisted on participating actively in the preparation of that test. He made it very tough and decided on a high average for acceptance. A few days later, after the results of the examination were known, but not officially announced, I took the list of those who scored the needed average, and went with some colleagues to see General Aoun, at the presidential palace. I approached him, and whispered in his ear: I have the Academy potential cadets passing list, what do you want us to do in regards to your nephew? Speak loudly, he said, did Naiem pass? I answered, according to the required average, no, he did not. Aoun responded: then he failed, and there is no need to continue discussing the matter. One of my colleague officers intervened to say: General, Colonel Naief Kalaas, has joined General Lahoud's forces, why don't we replace his son with your nephew? Aoun replied: my dear friends, Kalaas's son is qualified to enter the Academy, not my nephew, this is the end of the matter. When we started the Central National Co-ordination Bureau in 1988, General Aoun told us: Do not focus on money, because if you do, the track of your objectives will be lost. Money is used to serve the needs only, otherwise it becomes tiresome and a burden. You earn one thousand, and start thinking how to earn more, and more. You spend the rest of your life anxious, restless, unhappy and endeavoring to save a fortune; you become a slave to your money. A few weeks after his appointment as Prime Minister, the Libyan ambassador to Lebanon called asking for an urgent appointment, which he got within a week. During his meeting with General Aoun, the ambassador said: General, in the name of the Libyan Republic, and Colonel Mohamar Khadafi, I extend my congratulations, and the Colonel asks you to accept this cheque, as an initial aid for your Excellency. Aoun refused to accept the cheque (Millions of Dollars). He said to the ambassador: I genuinely thank you, and his Excellency the Colonel, for your greatly appreciated gesture. Please tell the Colonel on my behalf, that I would like our relationship to be of a different type. We ask him to help Lebanon by cutting his financial and other aids to the Lebanese militias, help we need badly. Our relationship as brothers, Aoun added, I hope will be built on solid basis and mutual convictions...the financial help would then be appropriate. A delegation from the northern town of Mezraya's immigrants visited Aoun in his office at the Baabda Palace. While discussing with them the critical Lebanese situation and answering their inquiries. a member of the delegation whispered in my ear: look the General's socks are loose and not fancy. General Aoun noticed what was going on, he smiled and said: this what we have, a man's value is not in his shoes or socks. General Aoun told us this incident: in the year 1978, he was appointed a member in an official military delegation assigned by the Lebanese army to visit the USA and negotiate with the Pentagon, the needed aids for rehabilitating the Lebanese army. In Washington Aoun met with a high rank USA military officer in-charge of the Lebanese affairs. The officer asked Aoun: Why do you want to strengthen the Lebanese army and provide it with modern weapons? Aoun replied: to be able to liberate our country from foreign occupations. The officer responded: Your country is occupied, and more than fifty thousand foreign troops are present there. How could you force them to leave, and you are a small country? Aoun quietly but surely answered: Every body knows the USA, the mightiest nation on earth, had sent thousands of its troops to fight the Vietnamese revolution. At the end you were forced to leave, and Vietnam the small country was victorious. To be continued Long Live Free Lebanon Australia, January 22/1999 |