Sfeir uses sermon to weigh in on politicians” failure to elect president
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said on Sunday that the Lebanese people no longer trust maneuvers employed by certain politicians to plunge the country into more paralysis “and extend the state of vacuum.”
“The Lebanese have grown sick of the tense political rhetoric and the state of neglect and irresponsibility prevailing on the political scene,” Sfeir said in his Sunday sermon at the Notre Dame Church in Bkirki.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri postponed until February 26 a session to elect a new president that was scheduled for Monday, the 14th such delay in three months.
Lebanon has been without a president since Emile Lahoud”s term ended on midnight November 23, plunging the country into the worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-90 Civil War.
“The presidential election has been postponed for the 14th time and some politicians still can”t assess the seriousness of the situation or realize the dangers that threaten our country,” Sfeir said.
On Saturday, Sfeir said that Hizbullah was a “true problem” in Lebanon.
“The state cannot bear two armies because that leads to a proxy state in Lebanon,” the patriarch told the weekly magazine Al-Massira.
In the same interview, the prelate stressed that it was it the duty of the United Nations “to impose restraints on the chaotic situation in Lebanon.”
“The United Nations is obliged to introduce restraints if the situation remains loose. They might appoint a ruler for Lebanon,” Sfeir said.
Sfeir also sounded the alarm about the possible goals of Damascus, saying that “Syria”s return to Lebanon could be made possible through its Lebanese allies.”
“Well-known political figures are likely to allow Syria to spread its control in Lebanon once again … and Syria is known for its ability to hit back at all its enemies,” Sfeir said.
The patriarch also launched a vehement attack against “tools of foreign powers” without identifying them by name, and accused them of seeking to “divide the nation.”
“There is no president, Parliament and government are absent … and now they want to make the Lebanese Army go through the same and become inefficient,” the prelate said.
“They say they are keen on preserving the army but in reality they want it stripped of any powers so they can divide the country with ease,” he added, in reference to the Hizbullah-led opposition.
Seven Shiite protesters were killed and scores others wounded during clashes with the Lebanese Army on January 27 that broke out during protests over extensive power cutoffs in Beirut”s southern suburbs. Hizbullah extended its support to the army in statements last week, and Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah demanded that a “swift and serious” investigation into the incident be undertaken.
“There are deep polarizations on the Lebanese political scene: one group aligns itself with the West, especially the United States and France, while the other works on achieving Syrian and Iranian interests in Lebanon,” Sfeir said.
The prelate added that all forms of foreign interference in Lebanon”s internal issues are to be condemned.
“Some foreign forces might lure the Lebanese by expressing strong support to them while others might provide them with money, weapons and authority,” Sfeir said.
The head of the Maronite church also denied reports that he intended to resign from his post. Former Cabinet Minister and key opposition figure Suleiman Franjieh had lashed out at Sfeir on Thursday, accusing him of “distorting facts and exercising favoritism.” Franjieh accused him of being a tool in the hands of foreign powers and urged him to step down.
“The truth of the matter is that you will do whatever the West tells you to do … If they tell you become friends with Syria you will do so and as soon as the West changes its stance concerning Syria you changed yours too,” Franjieh said in his statement last Thursday.