Sleiman meets pope, extracts renewed statement of support from Vatican
Berlusconi chimes in with backing for national dialogue
Pope Benedict XVI discussed the plight of Christians in the Middle East in a meeting with President Michel Sleiman on Friday. The pope voiced his support for Lebanon”s pluralistic identity and called for a "just and rapid" settlement of the Palestinian problem.
He made his remarks during a 25-minute audience with Sleiman, the Vatican press service said. The pontiff also repeated "the continued commitment of the Holy See in favor of Lebanon," a country where many faiths coexist, and "the safeguarding of its … identity."
Benedict and Sleiman also discussed "the delicate regional situation, expressing the wish that the Palestinian question finds a just and rapid solution."
"The conditions of life and the problems of Christian communities in the Middle East" were also reviewed, the press service said.
Christians account for around 37 percent of war-torn Lebanon”s population but their numbers have declined steadily in recent decades.
The number of Christians in Iraq has also fallen by more than 200,000 since the 2003 US-led invasion, with a string of recent sectarian attacks prompting a renewed exodus.
The 59-year-old Sleiman, a former commander-in-chief of Lebanon”s army, was elected president by Parliament in May after months of political paralysis, during which time the pope urged Lebanese leaders to unify as a "symbol" of peaceful coexistence between different religious communities.
The president also met with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir, who had extended his own stay in the Vatican after having attended a religious conference in October.
Before heading to the Vatican, Sleiman discussed Lebanese-Italian bilateral ties in a meeting with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome.
Sleiman was quoted by Lebanon”s National News Agency as saying that this country was fully committed to the implementation of international resolutions that "call for respecting its sovereignty and independence, and urge Israel to withdraw from all its territories."
Sleiman reiterated Lebanon”s commitment to reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the "Middle East problem" in accordance with international resolutions, the Madrid Conference of 1991, and the Arab Peace Initiative (API) of 2002.
The Madrid Conference set the ground for achieving peace settlements between Israel and a number of Arab states.
The API was launched during an Arab League summit in Beirut, offering Israel normal ties with all Arab countries in return for its complete withdrawal from all occupied land and fair resolution of the refugees” plight.
Sleiman told Berlusconi that Italy and the European Union could play an effective role in speeding up efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East. For his part, Berlusconi reiterated his country”s commitment to support stability in Lebanon.
"We also encourage the course of dialogue and reconciliation which started under the auspices of President Sleiman," the prime minister said.
Also Friday, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora discussed with a number of officials the measures to be taken to control Lebanon”s eastern border with Syria.
The meeting came in the aftermath of reports about a Syrian military deployment along the eastern border.
Local TV station LBC, which sent a correspondent to inspect the situation on the border, said Friday that no unusual measures were observed.
The commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), General Jean Kahwaji also said Friday that the LAF was continuously cooperating with the Syrian Army to prevent smuggling.
Siniora ended a visit to Cairo on Friday after meeting Egypt”s intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman.
A scheduled meeting between Siniora and President Hosni Mubarak did not take place as the latter was indisposed after returning from Paris.
However, Mubarak contacted Siniora and encouraged continued cooperation between Beirut and Cairo.
Also Friday, Future Movement leader Saad Hariri said that his recent meeting with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah would not lead to an alliance between the two leaders.
Hariri described his meeting with Nasrallah as "positive," adding that the two parties have agreed on containing tensions following last May”s events.
Hizbullah-led fighters clashed with pro-government gunmen in May, briefly taking over large swathes of predominantly Sunni western Beirut.
Hariri, who was speaking to Russia Today television, said that he would visit Moscow in November to enhance bilateral ties and stress Lebanon”s ability to become an "economic bridge" that connects Russia to other Arab countries.
The Future leader also met with Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, who visited him at his residence in Qoreitem.
A Lebanese Forces source told the Central News Agency on Friday that the meeting touched on next year”s parliamentary elections.
The source added that both leaders agreed on rejecting calls by Hizbullah and its allies to expand the list of participants in the national dialogue process, the next session of which is scheduled for Wednesday.
The conference”s first session was held in mid-September at Baabda Palace, grouping the 14 politicians who signed the Doha Accord that ended last May”s clashes.
Also Friday, news reports said that Nasrallah had told Hariri during their recent meeting that he had no reservations about meeting Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader MP Walid Jumblatt.
The PSP chief was the first to kick off reconciliation efforts with Hizbullah as senior officials from his party have held a number of meetings with Hizbullah representatives under the auspices of Youth and Sports Minister Talal Arslan.
In a separate development, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader MP Michel Aoun was quoted on Friday as saying that "only a nuclear bomb" would undo his alliance with Hizbullah. Local daily As-Safir said Aoun also told a gathering of FPM members that he would visit Syria before the end of the year.