Hizbullah Delegation Visits Bkirki and al-Rahi: We Haven’t Tackled Issue of Arms

The head of Hizbullah's parliamentary bloc MP Mohammed Raad expressed hope on Friday that the party would resume dialogue with Bkirki and consolidate ties.

Raad visited Bkirki at the head of a Hizbullah delegation to congratulate Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on his election.

“We hope that the patriarch would deal with the national interests of the Lebanese by taking a unifying stance,” Raad said.

“We informed him about our willingness to resume dialogue and strengthen it in the next stage,” the MP told reporters.

Asked about Hizbullah’s relations with Bkirki, Raad said: “We are encouraged by the patriarch’s policy which is based on harmony and agreement among all Lebanese.”

The lawmaker said he relayed a message from Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah congratulating al-Rahi.

For his part, the patriarch told reporters later on Friday that the issue of the party’s arms was not addressed during the meeting, saying that the matter “can be solved through dialogue.”

“Bkirki possesses national and spiritual principles and the dispute between the Lebanese is not over these principles, but on the details and strategies,” he noted.

“The political and party leaders should implement these values and Bkirki is keen on achieving a free, sovereign, and independent Lebanon,” al-Rahi stressed.

Commenting on Lebanon’s ties with Syria, he said that it experiences a lot of ups and downs, adding that he intends to visit parishes in Syria.