Sources: Bkirki Hopes Iran Deal Would Help Resolve Presidential Crisis

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi is hoping that the deal struck between Iran and major powers would help resolve Lebanon's presidential stalemate, Bkirki sources said Friday.

The sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper that al-Rahi “has always told visiting officials that Lebanon is not an isolated island.”

He has also said that “the solution to the presidential crisis is not purely Lebanese. Regional countries are responsible - as a result of their differences - for the obstruction of the presidential elections.”

Under the deal struck on Tuesday, Iran pledged to curb its nuclear program for a decade in exchange for potentially hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of relief from international sanctions.

“The Maronite Patriarchate hopes for and encourages regional and international settlements and deals because they lead to solutions whether in the Middle East or worldwide,” said the sources.

Bkirki believes that the deal would limit tension in the region and bring viewpoints closer, they told al-Joumhouria.

It should lead to a solution to the presidential crisis, the sources said.

The country's top Christian post is vacant since President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended in May last year.

Al-Rahi has been reiterating since then the importance of electing a new head of state to guarantee the functioning of state institutions.

Bkirki believes that some countries, mainly Saudi Arabia and Iran, have influence on the elections, the sources said.

They added that the patriarch will continue his consultations with the ambassadors of major and regional powers to remove the obstacles and open the door to an internal settlement on the presidential polls that receives a regional blessing and an international sponsorship.