Sfeir: Syria Trip Could've Implied Adhering to Syrian Policies

Former Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir on Monday said that if he made a trip to Syria, it could have interpreted that he is following its policies, whereas he only adheres to the Lebanese path.

In an interview to Future News, Sfeir expressed his belief that the Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi's positions match those of the Vatican.

He added that "al-Rahi is being received well in the West", saying that he does not know why "U.S. President Barack Obama refused to hold a meeting with him.”

On the Syrian presence in Lebanon the Patriarch refused to assume that the Christians would have lived in peace under the past Syrian hegemony if they had agreed to their policies instead of being persecuted and abused.

He stressed that history cannot be changed.

When asked about Hizbullah's weapons, Sfeir did not express regret on what was said about the issue of "the state within a state and the weapons.”

He added: “The Lebanese should be convinced that the weapons should lie exclusively in the hands of the state, which has the sole right to defend its citizens, not in the hands of certain groups or parties."