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Beirut – The Maronite patriarch in Lebanon, Bishara Boutros Al-Rahi, said Thursday that those who drag the country into regional conflicts are not acting in their interest, in unusual direct statements that refer to the Hezbollah group.
Al-Rahi called for Lebanon to remain neutral, referring to Hezbollah’s role in the fighting in Syria to support Damascus and its alliance with Iran in regional conflicts.
He affirmed his determination to demand “Lebanese neutrality”, apparently asking Hezbollah several questions “Do you want to force me to go to war?” And “Why are you opposed to neutrality? Do you want to force me to go to war? Do you want to keep Lebanon in a state of war? Do you accept my opinion when you do war?”
This video is al-Ra’i’s strongest criticism so far of Hezbollah, which, along with its political allies, dominates the Lebanese parliament.
The patriarch has influence in Lebanon as the head of the Maronite Church, which belongs to the sect of which the president should be under the power-sharing system.
Hezbollah’s opponents say its relationship with Tehran has alienated the Arab Gulf states that have been pumping money into Lebanon, shutting down a critical source of aid.
And the crunching financial crisis in Lebanon caused the Lebanese pound to collapse, causing the exacerbation of poverty and hunger. This is the worst crisis in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.
The words of the pastor came in a video of one minute and 27 seconds of a meeting with him through a videoconference, with a group of the Christian community in the Archdiocese of Brooklyn of Saint Maron in the United States, which circulated on social networks Wednesday and Thursday nights.
“Are you asking for my approval to go to Syria, Iraq and Yemen? Are you asking the government’s opinion when declaring war and peace with Israel? Noting that the (Lebanese) constitution says that declaring war and peace is due to a decision two-thirds of the government’s votes, “he said.
The Maronite Patriarch said in his speech to Hezbollah: “What I do is in your interest, but you do not take into account my interest or the interest of your people.”
He revealed that “Hezbollah people come to us and tell us: This (this) weapon (Hezbollah’s weapon) is against us. We cannot carry it (we cannot bear it), because they are hungry like us.”
On August 17, Al-Ra’i published a document entitled “Active Neutrality in Lebanon”, highlighting the need to “strengthen the concept of the Lebanese state through a strong army, an independent judiciary and institutions capable of achieving the internal security and stability and defend the land against any aggression, be it from Israel or anywhere else ”.
Al-Ra’i said in his sermon at the time that “the army is one of the people and it is not allowed to put it in the face of its people”, indicating that “the legitimate force is entrusted with the responsibility of defending Lebanon and it is not allowed to legislate or cover the presence of any illegal weapon (referring to Hezbollah’s weapons) along with His weapon. “
Amid severe polarization, Lebanon is going through a political and economic crisis, the worst since the end of the civil war in 1990, and has been unable to form a new government since the current provisional government led by Hassan Diab resigned last August.
On February 27, Al-Rahi called for an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations to “save Lebanon” and adopt the principle of “neutrality.” However, his call was met with criticism from some political parties, especially Hezbollah.
Al-Ra’i’s statements are considered the most recent in the context of political disputes that have not abated since the Beirut port bomb attack on August 4, but are important in terms of their timing, as they are They occur a day after the statements of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah. Statements in which he warned that time is up and that politicians must put aside their demands to form a government and save the country from an unprecedented financial crisis.
In the midst of these events, the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, asked the authorities of his country to correspond with the United Nations to demarcate the maritime borders with Syria or to appeal to the International Court of Justice if the regime of Bashar al-Assad is not satisfied with “friendly” international arbitration.
During a press conference north of Beirut, Geagea accused the Syrian regime of trying to penetrate 750 km2 of Lebanese waters, following the Damascus agreement with a Russian company to explore for oil and gas in the Mediterranean, off the coast of Tartus, near Lebanon. .
He noted that “the government of Syrian regime president Bashar Al-Assad opposed Lebanon’s proposal to explore for oil and gas in 2014,” adding: “In 2017, the Lebanese government sent a memorandum to the government. of Assad, requesting communication to unify the perspective regarding the borders … and no response until he surprised us two days ago. “On the award of a Russian company by the Assad government to explore for oil and gas in the Syrian demarcation “.
He added that existing maps show “the overlap of the Syrian demarcation with the Lebanese demarcation and the attempt by the Syrian side to annex 750 square kilometers.”
Geagea called Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Acting Prime Minister Hassan Diab and political forces to assign a law firm to send a warning to the Russian company to inform it that the Syrian bloc (sector) overlaps the Lebanese borders.
At Thursday’s meeting, Lebanese Defense Minister Zeina Aker discussed with Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe and Judge Jean Azzi the latest developments in Lebanon’s file of maritime borders in the north (with Syria) and south (with Israel), and They agreed to follow developments, according to a statement from the Defense Ministry.
Wehbe said in a statement published Thursday by the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa al-Watan that what is happening on the maritime borders of northwest Lebanon is not a neglected file, and if necessary, we will remind the Syrian authorities of what we are doing. previously informed us.
He explained that in 2011, Lebanon sent the United Nations a decree defining Lebanese territorial waters, but after two years, Syria objected and sent a demarcation map to the United Nations.
“In 2014 and 2017, Lebanon approached the Syrian authorities, stood firm on its borders and offered to negotiate the demarcation of the maritime borders. Since 2017, Lebanon continues to await negotiations between the two parties to negotiate the disputed area.” , He said.
