Maronite Patriarch Congratulates US on Elections, Alarmed Over Lebanon Elections
Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butrous Sfeir has expressed concerns on Lebanon’s political situation, particularly the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Nasrallah, who recently returned from a visit to Rome, also lauded the outcome of Tuesday’s US presidential elections.
“We hope parliamentary elections will be held on time, as decreed in the constitution,” the patriarch said in reference to the 2009 elections in Lebanon.
“We also hope that the security situation in the country will be better than it is now.”
Sfeir said security officials in Lebanon were “doing their best to consolidate security, but there are those who come from outside the country and carry out sabotage activities.”
“This is reprehensible, but what is important is that those who are cooperation with them do not remain in Lebanon,” he added.
Patriarch Sfeir also said he regretted the “malicious campaign against Bkirki.”
Sfeir called for “good and friendly” relations with Syria and congratulated the United States on the election of its next president, Democrat Barack Obama, which said had abided by constitutional principles.
“The people are free to elect whomever they want, and this is the first time a president from another race is elected. We have much hope for the new president.”
Sfeir also said he hoped Lebanon’s roundtable dialogue, under the auspices of President Michel Sleiman, would succeed.
He added that one of the conditions of communication was the freedom of the interlocutors and questioned whether all of them were free, because some of them were connected to other external and internal parties.
“Dialogue has conditions,” Sfeir said, listing freedom as a top condition. “Are all those sitting at the table free? There are some with ties inside and outside Lebanon.”
Sfeir said he hoped to see all Lebanese, whether Christian or Muslim, find understanding on points of controversy for the good of their country.