Gemayel Rejects ‘Loud Dispute’ with al-Rahi as Christian Figures Oppose Patriarch’s Principles

Former President Amin Gemayel said that the Phalange Party won’t participate in a conference that is being organized by top March 14 figures to confront Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s recent controversial stances on Hizbullah’s arms and the situation in Syria.

Gemayel told al-Jadid TV on Sunday that his Phalange party was not invited to the summit and said he rejected the “loud dispute” with al-Rahi.

“The discussion of such issues should be through frankness away from tension and not through speeches,” he said.

Al-Liwaa daily said Monday that the conference is scheduled to be held on Oct. 23 at Sayyidat al-Jabal monastery in Fatqa.

Former MP Samir Franjieh and Dr. Kamal al-Yaziji are coordinating with March 14 coordinator Fares Soaid to organize the conference that will bring together 700 Christian academic, political and media figures.

The closing statement of the conference will detail the choices of the Christians in Lebanon and the East in their participation in the Arab Spring and the formation of the modern Arab societies, al-Liwaa said.

Al-Rahi has drawn criticism from the March 14 forces and some Western countries for linking the fate of Hizbullah’s arms to the liberation of the remaining Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories.

He has also been condemned for saying that Syrian President should be given some time to introduce the reforms that he had promised. The patriarch fears that the collapse of the Assad regime would lead to the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood to power and threaten the existence of Christians in the region.