Report: U.S. Not Seeking to Cancel al-Rahi’s Entry Visa
The State Department does not intend to cancel Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s entry visa to the U.S. over his controversial statements on Hizbullah’s weapons and Syria, As Safir daily reported Monday.
The report came after Ad-Diyar newspaper said Sunday that the Department might cancel the visa to snub al-Rahi for linking the fate of Hizbullah’s arms to the liberation of the remaining occupied Lebanese territories and for saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad should be given the chance to introduce reform.
Ad-Diyar also said that al-Rahi will not meet with top U.S. officials in Washington after he told U.S. Ambassador Maura Connelly that he held onto his remarks.
Connelly reportedly told the patriarch that he needed to provide explanations on his statements before setting dates with U.S President Barack Obama and other officials. Al-Rahi snapped back by cancelling his visit to Washington, Ad-Diyar said.
As Safir’s Washington correspondent confirmed that a meeting hasn’t been set with Obama, adding that Bkirki cancelled the Washington stop as part of the patriarch’s pastoral visit after the U.S. administration set meetings between lower-ranking officials and al-Rahi.
The daily confirmed that the U.S. has expressed reservations on his stances.
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