BEIRUT, January 9. /TASS/. General Joseph Aoun has taken the oath of office before the members of the republic's parliament as the new head of state, becoming Lebanon's 14th president since the state gained independence in 1943.
During his first speech, Aoun emphasized that the country is going through an acute crisis and requires a shift in the way it is governed in order to get out of it. "Together with the future government, we will draft a law that will guarantee the independence of the judiciary," he added.
The president pledged to develop "a new Lebanese defense doctrine that will protect the country from Israeli aggression."