Hollande Meets al-Rahi, Says France Keen on Lebanon Stability

French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday held talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Paris, stressing his country's keenness on Lebanon's stability and calling on the international community to assist Lebanon in confronting the Syrian refugee crisis.

“The meeting was characterized with warmheartedness and cordiality and the two sides tackled the Lebanese-French ties and the impact of the situations in the region on Lebanon,” said a statement issued by the Elysee Palace.

“The French president underlined his country's keenness on Lebanon's stability, the safety of its citizens and political understanding among all the components of the Lebanese society … He also emphasized France's permanent solidarity with Lebanon and its commitment to its role as a peace factor,” the statement added.

Hollande hailed al-Rahi's role as a moral authority and President Michel Suleiman's efforts, recalling the “historic ties between France and Lebanon's Maronites and their patriarchate.”

He also hoped Lebanon will be able to “confront the various challenges and cope with the Syrian refugee influx.”

The French leader noted that “achieving democracy for people and the state of law are the best guarantees for religious diversity and Christian presence in the Middle East and Near East.”

He stressed that Paris will remain "very concerned with the situation of the Levant's Christians who represent an important factor in the identity of the countries they live in."

For his part, al-Rahi thanked France for its "permanent support for Lebanon," recalling the "historic and close relations between the two countries and France's support for Lebanon's just causes and role at the level of the international community."

He hoped Paris will continue its "support for peace in the region and human rights," underlining "the importance of the Lebanese example in Muslim-Christian ties, coexistence and the culture of dialogue, in the era of sectarian conflicts.”

Al-Rahi noted that "the role of Christians is to preserve the identity of the countries they have been inhabiting since 2,000 years.”

Later on Tuesday, al-Rahi met with former deputy premier Issam Fares and put him in the picture of his talks with Hollande and Fabius.

According to Lebanon's National News Agency, al-Rahi reiterated in his meetings with the French officials “the need to put an end to the destructive war machine in Syria and to reach a solution through peaceful means.”

The patriarch highlighted “the dangerous security and economic repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis on Lebanon,” urging France and the international community to “shoulder the responsibility of these refugees and not to leave Lebanon to confront the burden of the problem alone.”

Al-Rahi noted that “the Baabda Declaration remains the best framework for reaching solutions to the political crisis in Lebanon.”