USUP President Ibrahim Mrad welcomes Lebanon’s new government, calls for reform and federalism

BEIRUT — Ibrahim Mrad, president of the Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP), congratulated President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on forming Lebanon’s new government. In a statement, Mrad praised this milestone as a turning point for the nation, describing it as “the first government of the new era, one of reform, salvation, and liberation from the chaos that has long drowned us in a culture of corruption, illicit dealings, theft, militias, and imported wars.”

Mrad warned that Lebanon had been teetering on the edge of collapse, held hostage by external agendas aimed at dismantling its national identity. He commended the removal of obstacles designed to thwart Aoun and Salam, which he claimed were intended to undermine their inaugural address and reinforce a system of coercion backed by brute force.

Call for a Strong and Sovereign Government

Expressing his best wishes to all ministers, particularly those in key sovereign roles, Mrad underscored their qualifications and expertise. He urged them to become “the hawks of this phase” by taking an uncompromising stance on implementing international resolutions, specifically UN Security Council Resolution 1559, which mandates the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon.

Mrad called on the new government to act decisively in dismantling unauthorized security zones and ensuring that only the Lebanese Armed Forces maintain military authority. He stressed the importance of fully deploying the army across Lebanon’s borders to restore stability and urged collaboration with the international community to steer the country toward progress and prosperity.

Federal Future for a Fractured Nation

Acknowledging the daunting challenges ahead, Mrad warned that “time is short” and the road to national recovery would be difficult. He appealed to all honorable Lebanese citizens to join the effort to rebuild the state, emphasizing the need to reconsider Lebanon’s “failed centralized system.”

As a solution, Mrad advocated for transitioning to a federal system, asserting that “only federalism can preserve Lebanon’s rich civilizational diversity and safeguard the rights of all its communities.”

With the new government in place, Lebanon stands at a crossroads: one path leading toward sovereignty and stability, the other toward continued fragmentation. For Mrad, the choice is clear — Lebanon must decisively break from its troubled past and embrace bold structural reform.