BEIRUT: Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun called Wednesday for the gradual implementation of democracy in the Middle East.

“The chaos that has prevailed in the Arab countries following the recent transitions, the instability and the economic recession doesn’t indicate that an Arab Spring really took place,” Aoun said in a TV interview.

“Killing and terrorism has swept through the Arab countries that witnessed the [popular] uprisings.” Aoun stressed that Arab regimes should introduce democratic principles in a gradual manner and not impose it on citizens unfamiliar with such practices. “Unilateral world order lead by America has proved its failure.

That’s why the Syrian crisis will not end unless the redistribution of power is conducted among the major international players, notably Russia and the U.S.,” Aoun added.