Ahead of al-Rahi Trip, U.S. Says Christians Choices Not Limited to Autocracy or Extremism
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The United States considers the ongoing popular protests in Syria and a number of Arab countries as “a reflection of the ambitions of these countries’ peoples, their aspiration for freedom and democracy, and their adherence to all of their political and civil rights,” a western diplomatic source stressed.
In an interview with Naharnet, the source noted that “the U.S. administration believes it is Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s right to express the concerns and aspirations of his community during this period.
“But it is looking forward to understanding his vision and the vision of those he represents with regard to addressing these concerns on the basis of a future perspective and common vision with all those concerned domestically and internationally about helping the peoples of the region to achieve freedom, democracy, stability and prosperity,” the source clarified.
“According to this approach, the U.S. administration welcomes what it believes will be a primarily pastoral visit Patriarch al-Rahi will make to the Maronites in the U.S., and welcomes a constructive dialogue on how the Christian community can move forward in supporting the aspirations of the peoples of the region,” the diplomat added.
The U.S. administration also hopes the patriarch will “stress his interest in these legitimate goals” during the visit, the Western diplomatic source went on to say.
“Christians and their representatives must leave behind the state of anxiety over the future and their fate through contributing to the efforts exerted to achieve freedom of expression and democracy. The U.S. believes that the Arab peoples’ realization of their legitimate rights includes the guaranteeing of religious freedom and the protection of minorities in all fields,” the source noted.
“Patriarch al-Rahi has stressed, during the past weeks and on more than one occasion, the right of the Christians to exist in this region, and we share his opinion and support it, not only concerning the Christians but also concerning all sects. But what we hope to hear from Patriarch al-Rahi is his viewpoint on how the Christians can play a positive role in achieving freedom and guaranteeing their existence,” the source added.
“The true achievement of the goal of freedom of expression and belief is in the hands of the people of the region,” continued the official.
“The Christians therefore have to present their views and mechanism through which they can maintain their freedom and existence,” said the source.
“The United States believes that real stability and freedoms cannot be achieved by an oppressive regime claiming to protect minorities,” the official stated.
These goals should be accomplished by all components of society “through reaching an agreement that calls for the establishment of a political system based on freedom and democracy,” noted the diplomat.
“Al-Rahi has repeatedly said that the statements he made in France were misinterpreted and therefore the American administration is hoping that his visit to the U.S. would be an opportunity for him to join the ranks of those who are playing a positive role in shaping the future of the region,” stressed the source.
This future calls for Christians to play an effective role in the region, without having to choose between dictatorial regimes and extremists, remarked the western official.
“False choices do not serve Christians or minorities in Syria and other countries in the region,” added the diplomat.
Asked if al-Rahi may meet with high-ranking U.S. officials such as President Barack Obama or Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he replied: “The United States looks forward to constructive dialogue with the Patriarch.”
On whether Washington expects al-Rahi to issue a specific stand ahead of his trip, the western diplomat responded: “It’s natural that the Patriarch would visit his communities in South Lebanon and like others we will listen to what he says. He has spent a lot of time in the past few days stressing that his previous statements were misinterpreted.”
“The American administration does not link the program of the visit (to the U.S.) to the patriarch’s statements, but looks forward to taking part in a serious dialogue over the role of Christians and their future in the region,” the official told Naharnet.
“The patriarch has spoken at length about his concerns over the Christians and we look forward to see how he will lead his sect amid these developments,” the source said.
23 September 2011, 18:25
01
we need a tribunal to see who created and supported those regimes because who supported them is responsible of all their crimes
23 September 2011, 18:47
10
entering this arena is far beyond the capacities of rahi:"protection of all sects ,including the jews...."monseigneur is not realizing how america is infiltrated by sionism???????.
god protect bilad el arz from evil
23 September 2011, 18:47
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This is a reminder to Israel that protecting a minority sect need not come at the price of extremism and dictatorship.
The US ambassador realizes, I think, that when the "standard of the international community" is clearly stated, Israel is the salient exception to the rule. So in the past the US has not clearly spelled out the standard. So in turn rights and welfare in the US have suffered.
Democracy, like God, requires faith, but it must be a rational faith, for God is not stupid, nor are God's creatures.
23 September 2011, 18:59
12
Our Christan existence is in God's hands..
Claiming our Chrisitan existence is in the hands of a dictator places that dictator above God,..
And that is the fallacy of Rahi's theory... Bashar is no god..
23 September 2011, 19:35
11
Lies and more lies to the American people and the entire world, the only thing the American politicians care about is the Arab oil and Zionist strategy, every thing else is not interesting, if they realy care about the christians, they should protcted their christian state Lebanon, like they did with the Jews. Look what happened for the Iraqi christians and Lebanese christians, thousand were killed by the hand of terrorists under the CIA watch, while the Jews are untouched and protected, so it is easy to tell that this politician is full of lies, tell him to resign.
23 September 2011, 19:47
20
If it was true that the American care about the christian, why they deport the US born children from Lebanese christian parent in violation to the US constitution.
Dude your lies are over and your time is up for resigning, you are not lying to Lebanese, but you are also lying to the Americans andtheir national interes, because your only god is the oil only. American people should wake up and start checking on their Embassies and consulates if they are realy representing the American people interest?
23 September 2011, 19:59
41
How does the U.S. Have any intregretie when in comes to protecting the Christians of the middle east? How dare they question the batrack? He is the patriarch of antioch. He is the leader of all Maronites in lebanon and Syria. This is his responsibility. The u.s. Doesn't care about christains, just as they didn't care about them in Iraq as they were slaughtered. Just as they don't care that they have went from a population of 39% to 8% in palestian. The batrak is our voice and representative, not the zionist controlled, U.S of .A!
23 September 2011, 20:00
41
Any attempt to undermine the batrack, will end in a lebanese revolt. This will be very negative to any president hopeful who wishes to win Ohio. Which is more important? The Jew vote or Ohio Lebanese vote?
23 September 2011, 20:21
12
The whole world does not care about the Christians in the middle east. The batrack came back from paris upset because of sarkozis harsh statements.
Sarkozi told the batrak that the christians in the middle east should leave to Europe or the US because the islamist may take over and massacre them . batrak asked him about the palestinians . sarkozzi said they should stay where they are . a jewish american european plot to give the whole palestine to the jews and give the christians land to the palestinians. while the christians will be ferried by boats to the west. Thats why the batrak got upeset and made his statement. on his retour to lebanon. the batrak should have opened up to the christians and told them why instead of keeping it hush hush. If we go back in history and check kessingers books. Thats was exactly his plan years and years ago. The jews killed Jesus and now they are continuing by scattering his followers. so yes the batrak is right . May God help all the lebanes
23 September 2011, 20:21
11
The whole world does not care about the Christians in the middle east. The batrack came back from paris upset because of sarkozis harsh statements.
Sarkozi told the batrak that the christians in the middle east should leave to Europe or the US because the islamist may take over and massacre them . batrak asked him about the palestinians . sarkozzi said they should stay where they are . a jewish american european plot to give the whole palestine to the jews and give the christians land to the palestinians. while the christians will be ferried by boats to the west. Thats why the batrak got upeset and made his statement. on his retour to lebanon. the batrak should have opened up to the christians and told them why instead of keeping it hush hush. If we go back in history and check kessingers books. Thats was exactly his plan years and years ago. The jews killed Jesus and now they are continuing by scattering his followers. so yes the batrak is right . May God help all the lebanes
23 September 2011, 20:57
41
The blood thirsty American imperialists are not interested in Peace, freedom, or independence. They only support Zionist colonial aggression and their oppressive Arab puppets. They support divide and conquer, which we have seen in Lebanon, and throughout the middle east the people have paid a terrible price. I can not wait for the day when the American empire is destroyed and isolated and the NAZI state of Israel is isolated and destroyed like the way Apartheid South Africa was destroyed.
23 September 2011, 22:24
02
If the Patriarch is (incorrectly) claiming that the fall of the Syrian regime is going to put Christians in danger...is he then saying that Christian lives are more valuable then Muslim lives because the current regime is killing Muslims every day!
23 September 2011, 22:39
15
When I read the words Imperialist, Zionist, colonial aggression in a post, I automatically presume the poster is a ditto head parroting what he/she heard from Manar/SANA and other non-credible outlets. No fresh ideas. No catching up with the new century. Just being stuck in old talking points.
I am optimistic, however, that with the Arab Spring breaking out, these slackers will rid themselves of their mental lethargy.
23 September 2011, 23:38
16
Those who are mislead or misinformed keep accusing the US for the calamities of the Christians in iraq. Those who killed the Christians in Iraq as well as a lot more Muslims are the terrorists that were fed and bred in Syria and financed by Iran.
Even moqtada Al sader, iran's man, is accusing iran of harboring the terrorists who contributed in igniting the sectarian conflicts in Iraq.
The US have liberated the iraqis and without the current Syrian regime Iraq and Lebanon will have no more major hurdles to becoming stable and democratic.
Without the US the Syrian army would have been still occupying lebanon, without the US Saddam would have been still butchering his people, The US is the natural ally of every freedom loving lebanese.
24 September 2011, 00:54
00
Who is this source in the US administration and what is so secret in the revelations it is making that Naharnet cannot say who it is?
Or is it just your editorial board making up stories to fit the political agenda you have been pushing?
24 September 2011, 01:07
20
The days of this century when the racist white man (those of European heritage) dominates the world are coming to an end In several decades. The people of color will become a majority in the US, Canada, and many parts of Europe. In Palestine, even without the right of return, the Majority Native Palestinians will become a majority in Israel/Palestine in less than a decade. The west is declining, and the rest of the world are catching up after centuries of western imperialism. The white man who represents a small fraction of the world population will no longer have power to dictate and rule, but will be ruled by persons of color (I hope the white man does not get treated like the way he has treated persons of color throughout the world in the last 5 centuries).
The white man is very scared throughout the world, and their puppets are even more scared. The idea is unity and resistance (ANC, Vietgong, ETC), The enemy ONLY comes to the defense of NAZI Israel and AmeriKKKa (and puppets)
24 September 2011, 01:45
10
"yousef Haddad"...It was the Lebanese people who pushed the Syrians out of Lebanon, not the US who supported their entry into Lebanon in 1976. The US invaded Iraq for Israel and oil ONLY. Otherwise, they would have intervened to stop genocides in Rwanda and Congo. You Americans are so dumb and you think we Lebanese are dumber.
24 September 2011, 02:19
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"startrip". This article is about American involvement in the middle east. It has a lot to do with "Zionism"...Israeli Lobby in the US, Colonialism...the reason why Israel was implanted in the middle east, and Imperialism... Why America is able to invade nations and protect Israeli, yes, aggression. The issues we face today are same issues we faced in the last century. You are very ignorant and naive if you do not realize it.
24 September 2011, 05:09
10
To the Zionist idiot Yousef Netanyahu Haddad, the Christians are not leaving the middle east. The Jews have democracy in Israel, the same way the whites had democracy in South Africa. But, the way they rule Palestinians, it is an Apartheid regime. At least the whites in South Africa did not expel the majority blacks and made a minority out of a majority like the criminal Jews did in Palestine to both Muslims and CHRISTIANS. I always suspected that "Yousef Haddad" was a Zionist. Now, he proves that to all of us. Now, Startrip is next to be exposed.
24 September 2011, 08:16
00
To: John from koura, Israel is a Nazi state with apartheid , hmmm, lets see, Among the Jews in Israel there is a minority 1.2 million Arabs with Israeli citizenship, full social rights, electing to the Knesset, being elected, with same civil rights as Jews, living in a democratic state, hundreds of times more than they can get in all Arab states around. You should ask the local Arabs of Israel how many of them would prefer living under a Palestinian authority ? almost 80 % would refuse , wonder why? While in Israel we have also Arabs, the Palestinian leaders already declared that they will not accept a single Jew in the new state. So who is the apartheid state? How many Jews live in KSA? What civil rights getting the Palestinian living in Lebanon for over than 65 years, can they elect ? do they get social benefits? can they keep real estate, can they be elected , what rights did they get in Jordan by king Hussein who killed in 70's more Palestinian than Israel over 65 years.
24 September 2011, 09:19
07
It took the Christians of Lebanon centuries of struggle to declare freedom from tyranny and self-sufficiency in matters of safety and protection. Those centuries of struggle were wiped out by very confused and confusing statements from a new patriarch eager to prove to the world that he was his own man. That a Christian of Lebanon would accept these statements and encourage the patriarch to make similar ones is mind-boggling.
As a Christian, born and raised in Lebanon, I refuse to be told that I need the protection of anyone when I have proved time and again that I could stand against the worst assaults of those who were intent on wiping out Christian presence in Lebanon. The Christians don't need the protection of anyone, especially not the protection of a regime that tried its best to destroy Christian power for more than a couple of decades. We are here to stay and we shall prove to the world - once again - that we are masters of our destiny.
24 September 2011, 12:56
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"startrip" ...because of the "Arab Spring" the Saudi puppet regime is threatening to expel hundreds of thousands of Egyptian workers from KSA if Egyptian foreign policy change, the US and other western countries are threatening the Egyptian people with cut off of aid and tourism if they end its relations with Israel. The "Arab Spring" does not solve or end the struggle against Zionism, Aggression, Colonialism, and Imperialism the words you do not like. It intensify the same struggle we have had for the last century (at least in the short term).
Yousef Haddad, the US committed thousands of war crimes in Iraq without any prosecution, leveled Faluga, and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians. Next time the US and NATO wants to liberate a country (also Libya) try to pick a country that does not have a large supply of oil.
24 September 2011, 16:12
30
To NAHARNET: I had a reply to "startrip" dumb criticism, which you refused to print. this is not the first time. If Naharnet going to censure comments made by persons who are not M14 supporters than we will boycott your web site. Just mention to the public that you mostly print pro-American comments and you censure the rest.
24 September 2011, 19:38
31
to the Zionist liar Israel is the only country in the world where you have separate laws for Jews and non-Jews. Israel is the ONLY country where any person of the Jewish faith can come to Israel and be given citizenship at the airport. The Palestinian Natives are the only nation on earth where the majority of its people are not allowed to go back to their homeland ONLY because they are of the wrong religion (Palestinians are Christians and Jews). The 1.2 million Palestinians in Israel are discriminated more than blacks did during Apartheid. The fact that they are allowed to vote is worthless. The 8.8 million Palestinians living in Exile and occupation are not allowed to vote. The difference between Israel and Apartheid South Africa is that the white racists did not expel the black majority and turn them into a minority. The Jewish settlers who have come to Palestine want to live in a Jewish racist state. They have no interest to live with Arabs.
24 September 2011, 20:44
30
@youssefhaddad. I wish you understand the jewel of having a lebanese citizenship. You do not wanted just drop it and leave . If you are not faithful to your own homelanud you will never be faithful to your new homeland. our roots are in lebanon and no one will be able to uproot us. The us and israel are our ennemies and we will conquer them both. its our identity our mother land. all sects in lebanon are brothers and sisters. we will unite and we are uniting against one ennemie . the jews. the cause of our misery and the misery of the arab world. that is the cancer that needs to be uprooted from the middle east . We are proud to be lebanese.
24 September 2011, 21:59
00
Reality dictates that the weak should confide and follow the strong and this is what's really happening here: the Patrak is following the strong and even bwoing to their demands indirectly by going through such a move of visiting the south at the wrong time. I am a person who hates mixing religion and politics. I also hate politicians because they are corrupt and irrational. I also hate politicians in lebanon specifically because they preach what they don't do and do what they don't believe in simply because they want to be perpetually staying in power along side their offsprings; simply like the situation in Syria. Is their anything you and I could do to change this reality? maybe not, other than venting out through writing about the anomalies of this small country Lebanon. Would I have bothered if I were not born in this country? Certainly not. But since I am one of the Lebanese i simply ake for this perpetuating unhealthy situation of religious leaders playing politics.
24 September 2011, 21:59
00
Like Gebran (the wirter), i am Christian but hate the ones (Hypocrites) who are leading us. They have chnaged the our faith and the message of Jesus to suit them. How on earth can one explain the condoning of killing innocent people in Syria by the Patrak simply because he happens to believe that the debuckle of the regime there would not be in favor of the Christians. If Christianity is like this, I don't really need it. I may as well be an atheist. If Islam means that a Muslim shoudl kill his fellow muslim, I really don't need it and prefer to be without religion. I am really fed up from mixing religion with politics. Isn't time for us to be like the western world where religion stays in the places of warship and has no say in running the country. isn't it time for us to wake up and build a real country as gebran tweini said. The man who sacrificed his life for this cause.
24 September 2011, 22:45
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To "Startrip". is that your intelligent response with "new ideas"? A parrot is a lot more intelligent than you. What a waste it was responding to you.
25 September 2011, 01:07
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NAHARNET. In the last month I sent 6 comments, you posted 2. would I get a explanation or should I move on?
25 September 2011, 02:42
11
Someone is posting under my name by changing the spelling. Youseffhaddad is an imposter. please make sure to read my correct name before responding Youssefhaddad
25 September 2011, 08:55
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to sunni: first off, you are definately not a sunni as denoted by your comments. so please do have the courage to show your true colors.
second, who are you to shame others? go and enjoy Iran where you belong. try living there, and stay there as the likes of you are not welcome in our Lebanon.
Oue Lebanon is a democratic one, open to every peace loving person, and not the followers of the death wishers of iran.
