Acting Director General of State Security Brigadier General Elias Qaaiqati promised to restore the people's confidence in the country's security apparatus and prevent any group or individual from undermining state security. Qaaiqati, who was recently appointed to his post as successor to Brigadier General Hassan Fawaz, spoke during the handing over ceremony held Monday at the Directorate General of State Security in Jnah. Qaaiqati has been appointed on an interim basis until the government abolishes the position altogether. Qaaiqati said that even if some resources were limited in some fields, the techniques and equipment the government plans to introduce will soon allow all security services to progress. He urged members of the State Security to be loyal to their mission and diligent in performing their tasks and called on the Lebanese people to maintain unity in order to preserve the country's security and stability.
For his part, Fawaz said the Directorate of State Security had the opportunity to restore confidence in its capacities and show the importance of its role. There have been suggestions the government would abolish this service. But Fawaz said if the directorate improved its performance and received some financial and technical resources, it could be maintained. He said the upcoming phase required additional information and sacrifices from all members in order to increase the efficiency of the directorate and prevent it from being shut down.