Al-Rahi: My Statements from France Were Taken Out of Context
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi asserted on Sunday that the statements he made in France “were taken out of context and therefore they were misinterpreted,” reported the daily An Nahar on Monday.
He announced upon his return to Lebanon from his visit to France that his talks with French officials focused on reform in the Arab world.
He added: “We oppose violence against the people regardless of the source of the violence and we don’t support or oppose ant regime.”
On the Patriarchate’s position on Syria, he stated: “It never announced its opposition to the Syrian regime, but it opposed Syrian presence in Lebanon.”
“We voiced a fear that dictatorial regimes would transform into fundamentalist ones, that a civil war would erupt in Syria, and that Christians would fall victim to sectarian tensions,” al-Rahi clarified.
He revealed that the French officials took his concerns into consideration and “French President Nicolas Sarkozy did not voice any reservations over them.”
An Nahar reported that President Michel Suleiman will hold talks on Thursday with the Patriarch and Prime Minister Najib Miqati is scheduled to meet him on Friday.
Meanwhile, a leading Christian source told the daily al-Liwaa in remarks published on Monday that al-Rahi’s political performance “is jeopardizing Bkirki’s efforts to unite the Christian ranks.”
“This unity cannot be achieved through contradictory statements,” it added.
Al-Rahi’s remarks from France had created controversy in Lebanon when he said: “Syrian President Bashar Assad must be given a chance because he is implementing reforms in Syria.”
He also called on the international community to force the implementation of resolutions issued by the U.N. Security Council in order to strip Hizbullah of excuses to possess arms.
“The international community must pressure Israel to withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories … and fulfill the Palestinians’ right of return, and consequently Hizbullah will have to lay down its arms,” he told al-Arabiya television on Thursday.
He also warned that the Christians will pay the price if the Muslim Brotherhood succeeded Syrian President Assad.
“If the regime changes in Syria, and the Sunnis take over, they will form an alliance with the Sunnis in Lebanon, which will worsen the situation between the Shiites and the Sunnis,” al-Rahi noted.
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