Al-Rahi Meets Yaziji: We Reject Any Foreign Intervention in Syria, Demand Peaceful Solution
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Youhanna X al-Yaziji on Sunday rejected the anticipated military strike on Syria, demanding a peaceful solution to the crisis.
“We do not support violent solutions in Syria and we demand diplomatic methods because no one has the right to terminate the life of any human,” al-Rahi said after meeting al-Yaziji at the Balamand Monastery in northern Lebanon.
“The huge tragedy in Syria is unacceptable at the humanitarian and moral levels, that's why we demand that the conflict be resolved through diplomatic and peaceful means,” he added.
Al-Rahi also demanded the release of bishops Yohanna Ibrahim and Boulos al-Yaziji, who were abducted near Syria's Aleppo.
"We are against any foreign intervention through weapons and war in Syria or elsewhere," he went on to say.
"We need the rhetoric of peace and we need to put out the grudges. We have been living together as citizens in the Arab countries and the Levant since 1,400 years and we have built a sort of democracy and we don't want the war to eradicate what we built throughout 1,400 years," the patriarch added.
"We are proud that our Christian identity in Syria and the Levant contains components of the Islamic identity and the Islamic identity contains something of the Christian identity and we don't want any foreign culture to obstruct our coexistence," he said, adding that "we are advocates of peace, love and dialogue everywhere and no one can usurp the freedom of others."
Earlier on Sunday, al-Rahi held officials responsible for the deadly bombings that have recently rocked Beirut's southern suburbs and the northern city of Tripoli.
“Political parties don't value the heavy price payed by innocent citizens in the three bombings,” al-Rahi said in his sermon at his summer residence in Diman.
Politicians “haven’t yet realized that they are responsible for the victims over their prolonged conflict and their obstruction of the work of constitutional institutions,” he said.
Two separate car bomb blasts have recently rocked Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hizbullah stronghold, while two similar consecutive bombings have targeted mosques in Tripoli, leaving hundreds of casualties.
The politicians "only condemned, condoled and accused the other,” he mocked.
“Had they taken bold and responsible moves towards political and sectarian reconciliation ... and security measures that would stop arms proliferation and self-security, the relatives of the victims would have received some consolation,” al-Rahi said.
Al-Rahi also criticized politicians for not coming up with a “real initiative” to resolve the cabinet formation crisis.
He reiterated that the new government should be strong and capable of protecting citizens, imposing security and controlling arms proliferated across the country.
Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam has so far been unable to form his cabinet over conditions and counter-conditions set by the bickering March 8 and 14 camps.
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