Lebanese president willing to meet protesters

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun broke his silence after a week of unprecedented protests on Thursday, expressing willingness to meet demonstrators.

"I am ready to meet your representatives... to hear your demands," he said in a short televised speech, his first since daily street protests began on October 17.

He also left the door open to a possible cabinet reshuffle.

"It has become necessary to review the current government situation so that the executive authority can pursue its responsibilities," he said.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Twitter he welcomed this review call.

In Lebanon, the president does not control government policy, though Aoun’s political party, the majority-Christian Free Patriotic Movement, is a key part of Hariri’s governing coalition.

Aoun’s speech was met with derision at demonstrations in Beirut and other cities.

The protesters have been venting their frustration at daily woes from the lack of healthcare to power cuts, and calling for the replacement of a sectarian political system they say is corrupt and broken.

Hariri on Monday presented a package of reforms, including cutting ministerial salaries, but the peaceful rallies have continued, crippling Beirut and other major cities.

"The reform paper that was approved will be the first step to save Lebanon and remove the spectre of financial and economic collapse," Aoun said.