Gemayel Urges Govt. to Adopt al-Rahi's Stance on Arms

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel on Monday said the remarks voiced by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in his Christmas sermon were “in line with the principles Bkirki has endorsed since the year 2000 concerning the need to accomplish national sovereignty.”

Sovereignty “can only be achieved if power is in the hand of the state,” Gemayel said in an interview on MTV.

He hoped the patriarch’s remarks would pave the ground for “a stance that would be unanimously adopted by the government, as the president (Michel Suleiman) and several ministers were present at the (Christmas) mass.”

In his sermon, al-Rahi said “the state should assign all security and defense duties to the political authorities.”

“The state is obligated to guarantee the people’s safety, gather all arms, and limit security duties to the state, which will therefore ensure an arms-free Beirut and arms-free Lebanon,” he noted.

Commenting on Suleiman’s remarks that “no Lebanese town would accept to harbor terrorism,” Gemayel said: “This is political talk and we want to assert the state’s authority over all territories.”

Gemayel also hoped the electoral system proposed by the Greek Orthodox Gathering and recently endorsed by the Maronite leaders in Bkirki would “pave the ground for a dialogue aimed at drafting a law that would ensure proper representation.”