Al-Rahi from France: No Lebanese Faction Can Impose Certain Fate on Lebanon
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stressed the need for the Lebanese to reach a “new understanding” based on the country’s national contract.
He said: “Given the current circumstances, no Lebanese faction can force a certain fate on the country.”
He made his statements during a dinner banquet thrown in his honor on Monday by the President of the French Senate Gerard Larcher during the patriarch’s ongoing visit to France.
“We support change, democracy, and freedom, but we should be wary of extremism or fragmentation, which has driven me since my election as Patriarch in March to create rapprochement among the disputed political forces in Lebanon,” al-Rahi said.
“This mission is driven by the changes in the region while simultaneously maintaining our principles and values,” he stated.
“Given the developments in the region, the Lebanese need now more than ever to bolster the conditions to hold dialogue and achieve national reconciliation,” he continued.
“Lebanon is more than just a country, it is a message,” stressed the patriarch quoting late Pope John Paul II.
Furthermore, he noted that the cooperation between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon can set the example for similar cooperation between different religions throughout the Middle East.
Lebanese Ambassador to France Butros Asaker later held a reception in al-Rahi’s honor during which the patriarch spoke of the meetings he held with various French officials, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday.
“The talks focused on maintaining Lebanon as a nation open to the West and East,” he revealed.
The patriarch later held talks on Tuesday with French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and Interior Minister Claude Guéant.
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