Aoun offering condolences to Qatar: Emir Hamad bin Khalifa was a friend of Lebanon and a patron of national reconciliation

President Joseph Aoun expressed his pain and sorrow over the death of the former Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, whose passing he said constitutes a major loss for the sisterly State of Qatar, for Lebanon, and for the Arab world.

He said: "Lebanon, both its president and its people, remembers with deep appreciation and loyalty the sincere fraternal positions the great deceased expressed toward it, particularly during the Israeli aggression in July 2006, when the State of Qatar under his leadership stood by Lebanon in one of its darkest periods and helped ease the suffering of its people.

Lebanon also highly values the initiatives launched by His Highness in the field of rebuilding Lebanese villages and towns damaged by the war, in a step that embodied the depth of Arab solidarity and the spirit of responsibility, and left a lasting impact on the conscience of the Lebanese. The late Emir was a friend of Lebanon and played an effective role in bringing the Lebanese closer together. He launched initiatives that left a major mark on the course of national reconciliations, foremost among them his sponsorship of the Doha Conference in 2008, which ended a delicate phase in Lebanon's modern history and restored political life to the constitutional institutions and security to Lebanese regions.

President Aoun extended his warmest condolences to the son of the great deceased, His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who continues his late father's path in helping Lebanon and launching appreciated political and humanitarian initiatives to achieve security and stability in Lebanon and end the suffering of its people. He also offered condolences to the deceased's family and loved ones, expressing Lebanon's full solidarity in this painful loss and praying that God may envelop the great departed in His vast mercy and grant his relatives patience and solace."