Berri Warns against Strife in Region, Welcomes Pope’s Visit to Lebanon
Speaker Nabih Berri warned on Thursday against the ambush set for regional countries, saying that their economic and political powers are being scattered.
“Division is increasing (among the regional countries) and they’re turning into nations governed by the power of arms,” Berri said at the opening of the Languages Faculty at St. Joseph University (USJ).
He expressed fear from the “dark tunnel” that the regional countries have entered.
The speaker hoped that Egypt would be able to overcome its political crisis, the Syrian regime would be able to launch a productive dialogue and that the Palestinians regain their unity.
However, he noted that Lebanon “needs to fortify the safety of its citizens and agree on a strategic plan for development.”
“Dialogue and acceptance of the other should be nationalistic products,” the speaker stated.
Berri welcomed the scheduled visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Lebanon.
The Pope is expected to visit Lebanon in September to preach peace and unity for Christians in the Middle East.
Benedict will also bring a message of "peace in the Middle East," where violence has raged in Lebanon's neighbor Syria for a year and efforts to resolve the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict are as mired as ever.
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