Al-Rahi: Lebanon Must Not Be Source of Regional Instability
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi stated on Sunday that Lebanon will not be an open ground for foreign forces to wage their wars at the country’s expense.
He said during his Sunday sermon at Bkirki: “Lebanon must not be a channel or a source of instability in the region.”
“The Lebanese and international community should exert efforts in declaring Lebanon a neutral country in order for it to continue on serving its mission and acting as a factor of peace in the Middle East,” he added.
“Through its positive neutrality, Lebanon will be able to commit to joint Arab issues and the peace process,” he explained.
“This requires the improvement of Lebanese defense capabilities and limiting the possession of arms to the official state institutions,” al-Rahi stressed.
Addressing the situation in Lebanon, he said: “Lebanon is not a unified state, but a number of statelets whose funds are being squandered by wealthy individuals at the expense of the people and their dignity.”
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel had stated recently that Lebanon will not serve as a base for terrorists.
He made his remarks in response to Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn’s claims that al-Qaida members had infiltrated Lebanon.
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