Al-Rahi: Dialogue with Hizbullah Doesn’t Replace All-Party Talks at Baabda

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called on Thursday the Lebanese people to once again adhere to the National Pact “because Lebanon belongs to all sides” and not one party or faction.

He said before a delegation from the Editors Syndicate: “Our dialogue with Hizbullah does not replace the all-party talks at the Baabda Palace.”

He added that talks with the party are not political.

“The national dialogue should not remain crippled between the March 8 and 14 camps,” he stressed.

“Bkirki, which represents the church, is truthful about the National Pact and Lebanon’s importance in the Arab world,” continued the patriarch.

“We look forward to the rise of a strong state and we should confront whoever is obstructing its progress,” al-Rahi said.

“We should be up to the task of building this state and not the other way around,” he remarked.

On the regional developments, he noted: “I am not fearful over the fate of the Christians in the East given these changes, but I am fearful over the whole East, including its Christian and Muslims.”