Maronite Bishops Call for Unity among Lebanese, Warn against Land Sales to Foreigners

The Council of Maronite Bishops urged politicians on Wednesday to safeguard Lebanon amid the swift developments in the region that can have negative repercussions on the country, expressing fears over the continuing land sales to foreigners for financial gains.

Following their monthly meeting headed by Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki, the bishops called for unity among the Lebanese people.

“The swift developments in the region… could have negative repercussions on Lebanon,” they said in a statement.

They urged the Lebanese people to unite and abide by the “positive neutrality policy.”

In January, Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour criticized the Arab League's call for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down.

Since mid-March, Assad's regime has faced an unprecedented protest movement. The United Nations estimated at the start of January that more than 5,400 people had been killed in the ensuing crackdown on dissent.

Lebanon “should be committed to all the international resolutions concerning peace,” the statement stressed.

The bishops hailed the cabinet’s efforts in dealing with thorny issues, warning against any standstill.

They expressed concern over the ongoing land sales to foreigners for financial gains although they noted that the land sales witnessed drops over the past year.

Al-Rahi cautioned in December the Lebanese against selling their lands, considering it “treason.”

He established with Maronite MPs a follow-up committee in Bkirki to examine land ownership by Christians and the consequences of land sales countrywide.

The bishops’ statement also welcomed the visit of U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon and said the conference held by ESCWA was a confirmation that Lebanon is an example of coexistence based on democratic rule.

In January, Ban was in Lebanon on a two-day visit. He met with senior Lebanese officials and gave a keynote address at a U.N. conference on the transition to democracy in the Arab World.