Al-Rahi Urges Officials to Rise above Personal Interests to Approve Policy Statement

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi noted on Sunday that the Bkirki charter could help officials end disputes that are hindering an agreement on the government's policy statement.

He said during his Sunday sermon: “We urge officials to rise above their personal interests and seek Lebanon's interests through approving a policy statement.”

The disputes thwarting the drafting of the statement are not more important than higher national interests and the constitution, he remarked.

The new government is tasked with staging the presidential elections on time “as the election of the president is a main factor in the rise of the state,” stressed al-Rahi.

“It is shameful and an insult to national dignity to hear some sides speak of vacuum and the possibility of postponing the elections,” he continued.

Unveiled in February, the Bkirki charter highlighted the importance of staging the presidential elections, while warning of the dangers threatening Lebanon due to regional developments.