Saniora: If I Were Miqati, I Would Have Abstained from Voting on Arab Decision on Syria
The head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora stressed that Lebanon does not meddle in the developments in Syria, saying that it does not believe in adopting such policies because it has nothing to gain from them and it isn’t even capable of intervening in Syria.
He told the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat in remarks published on Saturday: “If I were Prime Minister Najib Miqati, I would have abstained from voting on the Arab foreign ministers’ decision to suspend Syria’s membership in the Arab League.”
“I would not have taken a position against the majority of the Arab world,” he stated.
He noted that Miqati had voiced his commitment to the Arab Spring and its values.
“A person should always remember what he says and to whom he says it to because in this situation someone said one thing and then did the exact opposition,” the former premier said.
“This is not in Lebanon or even Syria’s best interest,” Saniora remarked.
Meanwhile, sources close to the former prime minister told the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat in remarks published on Saturday that his talks in the Vatican and Egypt focused on the changes in the region and the need to reassure Christians that the developments will not affect them.
Saniora had met with Vatican Foreign Minister Dominique Mamberti and al-Azhar Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb.
The sources revealed that the Vatican is studying the possibility of sending an envoy to Lebanon in December in order to assess the situation there and make sure that the regional developments, especially those in Syria, will not affect it.
In addition, they said that the Vatican is also considering hosting a Christian conference that brings together the Christian and Muslim spiritual leaders in the region.
They stressed that the Vatican is “aware that it is no longer acceptable to stand against the changes made by the Arab Spring and therefore it is necessary to devise ways in which to maintain Christian and Muslim cooperation in a manner that would accompany these changes.”
The Vatican is now keen on exerting efforts to prevent sectarian problems from emerging in Lebanon.
On his talks in Egypt, al-Tayyeb’s sources told al-Hayat that Saniora’s talks focused on maintaining good ties with Christians in the region.
On November 12, the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership from the organization after it failed to implement an Arab initiative calling on it halt violence against anti-regime protesters, introduce reform, and hold dialogue with the opposition.
Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen voted against the decision, while Iraq abstained.
The March14-led opposition condemned the Lebanese government’s position, saying that it is a sign of consent to the bloody crackdown against the demonstrators.
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