Al-Rahi: My Statements from France Were Taken Out of Context
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
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.
12 September 2011, 09:04
21
Blind views regardnig the American Anti-Lebanese people, for years they sit and watch the Syrian regime killing Lebanese Christian nd Musloms they even helped them to invade Baabda. Again telling the truth will hurt many people. I guess AlRahi is a real Lebanese, who want to live in the south on daily bases of Israeli's war plane violation, including their drums of war. Think real and look to the core of the problem, who dumped or deported thousands of Palestinian refugees in the Lebanese land and guess what non of them can go back, even the terrorists or criminals, the govrnment cant deport them back to Israel, while US baby born from Lebanese parents have been deported from US, Christian, Jews or Musloms?
12 September 2011, 11:43
04
He fell for it !! Just some one or his advisors should direct the Patriarac not to dip his nose into politics , he is a religious person and should stay away from any political comments , His views will not satisfy all people.
12 September 2011, 13:14
50
Al Rahi is polite, but what he meant to say is that the same fabrikantes, such as the embodiment of filth, Marwan Hamade, continue to spill their filth through fabrications that fool only the idiots, Hariri's Sunni crazies and his Christian Sunnis. m3alla2in bi 7ibal al hawa. Hey, idiots, wake up. The Party and the party are both over. OVER!!!
12 September 2011, 13:42
02
Perhaps saying things in French means one thing, and saying things in Arabic means another. Good communication is not just what the speaker says but what the hearer understands.
12 September 2011, 13:48
05
Everyone will pay the price if the Muslim brotherhood succeeds in Syria. But then everyone will be fighting a clear and defined enemy.
The lebanese sunni muslims and even a large majority of the Syrian sunnis will not accept or tolerate a life under another dictatorship especially a salafusts one.
Assad's regime contributed to the strengthening of the extremists and his demise will weaken them in the whole region.
Alra3y and many Christians are mislead into the belief that we should keep behind monsters like Assad in order to survive. Besides being totally unchristian to support a bloody oppressor it is shortsighted to keep chosing the wrong allies.
12 September 2011, 13:48
40
al rahi, don't be shy. you gave strong patriotic statements, and be proud of it. As for Syria, i can agree that it was meddling in inside ofd another country, so in the future...just don't.
12 September 2011, 15:26
02
This sort of thing makes you miss Patriarch Nasrallah. Sure what he had to say was very sphinx like, but what the Patriarch says is less important that what he does and what Bkerki stands for.
It is wrong for the Patriarch to get involved in the back and forth of political talk, especially in Lebanon, and especially when the Christian parties are split, some with M14 and some with M8. It causes further division as each side tries to pull the Patriarch into one camp or the other. The Patriarach should be in the Lebanon Camp, not M8 or M14.
Patriarch Nasrallah was able to maintain the balance and did not give in to the temptation to which Rai seems so far not to be able to resist.
12 September 2011, 18:32
10
I don't understand what's the fuss about Rahi's comments. They are the same as what many many christian lebanese think and as their patriarch he echoes these thoughts wether they're utter nonsense or not. The christians and all the lebanese should understand once and for all what an illogical, retarded and uncivilized people they are and stop thinking that their country is where Eve ate the apple. I applaud Rahi to once more prove to the world what kind of idiots the Lebanese and especially the christians really are.
12 September 2011, 19:53
10
sikoflebanon, Lebanese are not like what you have described them, you are basicly implimenting the Anti-Lebanese policy. Who is blind here the rich American who is edicted to the Arab oil and blind supporter to the Zionist.
Israel deported thousands of Palestinian to Lebanon, creating immigration problem to the Lebanese, while Lebanese can't deport back the terrorists and criminals where they came from(Israel) the US deported hundreds of US born children born from Lebanese unconstitutionally. This is called political slavery and privelage, this what most of you want to slave the ancient people to keep controling them and their wealth.
12 September 2011, 22:44
01
Too late Patriarch... Sometimes it is better to stay silent instead of throwing un-balanced and useless statements
