Hariri says to 'topple authoritarianism'

Lebanese politician Saad Hariri has called for "toppling the system of corruption, assassination and authoritarianism". He used his Twitter profile to expound on the necessity to have faith, saying: “We will win because we are right.” When he was asked about the spending crisis facing the government, particularly as Wednesday's cabinet session did not result in anything concrete, he said: “The lives of citizens should not be part of the officials' personal deals, as is the case with this government.”  In answer to a question if he aimed through his call to overthrow the current regime to abandon the Taif Agreement, he said: “The call is to overthrow the system of armed organisations, corruption, assassination and authoritarianism.” The Taif Agreement was a deal reached to provide "the basis for the ending of the civil war and the return to political normalcy in Lebanon." Negotiated in Taif, Saudi Arabia, it was designed to end the decades-long Lebanese civil war, politically accommodate the demographic shift to a Muslim majority, reassert Lebanese authority in South Lebanon (then occupied by Israel), though the agreement set a time frame for Syrian withdrawal and stipulated that the Syrians withdraw in two years. It was signed on October 22, 1989 and ratified on November 4, 1989.