Al-Rahi Discusses Presidency, Syrian Refugees with Hollande

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi helds talks Monday in Paris with French President Francois Hollande and talks tackled the issues of Lebanon's presidential void and the Syrian refugee crisis.

The two men discussed “the topics that they had addressed during their latest meeting in Beirut, topped by the two-year presidential vacuum,” Lebanon's National News Agency said.

They tackled “the severe economic and social crisis and the repercussions of wars and conflicts on Lebanon politically and economically,” NNA added.

Al-Rahi and Hollande also discussed “the burden of displacement on the refugees themselves and on the Lebanese and France's role in helping Lebanon in this regard.”

The patriarch called on the French president during the two-hour meeting to “double the efforts at the educational and social levels in Lebanon, in addition to helping in the political and security issues,” the agency added.

Y.R.