We Look Forward for Reform with Suleiman After Elections
The Council of Maronite Bishops said it looked forward for reform with President Michel Suleiman following Sunday”s parliamentary elections.
"We look forward to begin the process of reform with President Michel Suleiman following the parliamentary elections starting with reactivating constitutional institutions that alone could ensure political, security and economic stability," the bishops said after their yearly conclave under Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir.
They called for a wide decentralized government in order to "build national unity and…improve sustainability," said Monsignor Youssef Tawq, who read the concluding statement.
The bishops urged the state to implement economic and tax reforms, support industrial and agricultural production and tourism. The statement also called on the state to provide job opportunities for youth and urge them to remain in the country.
The bishops "urged all Lebanese to preserve their unified nation," Tawq said, adding that they should resort to dialogue to settle all differences.
The bishops reiterated their stance on the elections, saying they should be held transparently. They also called on the Lebanese to put their nation”s interest first in order to secure a better future for their children.