Al-Rahi Urges March 14 to Take Part in Dialogue on 'Changing Govt.'
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Tuesday called on the opposition March 14 camp to accept President Michel Suleiman's call for national dialogue, stressing that "we cannot cripple the state and dialogue upon every crisis."
"I repeat my condolences over the assassination of (Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau head) Maj. Gen. (Wissam) al-Hasan and all the victims," said al-Rahi at the Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport, upon his arrival from a visit to Rome.
"I tell our brothers in the March 14 camp that their wound is our wound, but things must be confronted in a calm manner," he added.
The patriarch stressed that "things can only be resolved through dialogue, because the martyrdom of Maj. Gen. al-Hasan is not a simple issue as it indicates the presence of conspiracies aimed at dragging Lebanon into the unknown."
"March 14 must accept the president's call for dialogue in a calm manner and all world powers are afraid of a vacuum in Lebanon," al-Rahi went on to say.
The patriarch noted that he has approved Suleiman's call for a "peaceful change of the government, through understanding and dialogue and without causing a power vacuum."
"Nothing is 'sacred' and let us think of a transitional process," al-Rahi added.
He pointed out that the president's call is "the best in order to replace the government."
"We must shoulder our responsibilities and confront the regional and international difficulties," al-Rahi said.
Asked about his stance on the electoral law, the patriarch reiterated his rejection of the 1960 law.
On the issue of being promoted to cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, al-Rahi said: "This honoring is the result of the pope's visit to Lebanon and the result of the spontaneity and love of the Lebanese people."
"The Vatican's secretary told me that the pope decided to honor Lebanon, the Christians and the entire Orient by promoting me to a cardinal," he added.
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