Al-Rahi Calls for Uprooting Terrorists, Hopes Dialogue Would Resolve Baabda Impasse

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called on Tuesday for ending support to terrorist organizations and the closure of the border to stop the infiltration of gunmen.

During a meeting for Catholic Patriarchs in Bkirki, al-Rahi urged the eradication of terrorists, and called on their backers to stop arming them and halt their financial support.

“Nothing justifies terrorist attacks against humanity,” he said.

He also hoped that the dialogue among rival parties would lead to a solution to the presidential deadlock.

Hizbullah and al-Mustaqbal representatives have been holding talks under the sponsorship of Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh since December.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun and Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, both presidential candidates, are also expected to meet soon.

The rivalry between Aoun and Geagea and their alliances has left Baabda Palace vacant since the expiry of President Michel Suleiman's six-year term in May last year.

Al-Rahi said the vacuum at the Baabda Palace led to the paralysis of the parliament and the lack of productivity in the cabinet.

He also lamented vacancies in several top diplomatic posts, including Lebanese embassies, as a result of the absence of a head of state.

Al-Rahi said that during their meeting, the patriarchs would study the situation of Christian refugees in Syria and Iraq, their needs, ways to find them jobs and provide education to their children so that they stay in their home countries.

“Another objective is to unify our voices for the international community to provide the necessary assistance to the refugees and help them return to their homes … and rebuild them,” said al-Rahi.

The patriarch urged the Arab world and the West to resolve the Syrian crisis politically and called for the return of the Palestinians to their lands.

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