PNN – The Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon stated that negotiations aimed at resolving the current situation in the country must not devolve into an endless process with no clear outlook; rather, negotiation should serve as a means to achieve a solution.
According to the report of Pakistan News Network citing Elnashra; Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi said: Whatever harms southern Lebanon harms the entire country, and any bloodshed in the south is a wound inflicted upon the body of Lebanon as a whole.
He added: The killing of citizens must not become routine news, nor should Lebanon’s villages and towns be turned into arenas of terror, destruction, and death.
Al-Rahi called upon the Lebanese government to fulfill its responsibilities toward the country’s territory and its people across the nation.
Regarding the state’s exclusive control over arms, Al-Rahi stated: Consolidating arms in the hands of the state does not mean the dominance of one group over another. This is not a sectarian or denominational issue, but a matter of national principle. The government has the right to make sovereign decisions and bears the responsibility of protecting all citizens. Until Lebanon’s sovereignty is fully established internally, one cannot expect others to respect that sovereignty.
The Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon also emphasized regarding the Lebanese government’s negotiations with the Zionist regime: the negotiation must evolve into a clear process with defined objectives, yielding tangible results—such as a halt to aggression, the implementation of a withdrawal, and the establishment of stability—while securing firm guarantees to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty and prevent an escalation of tensions. The negotiation should not become an endless process lacking a clear outlook; rather, it must serve as a means to achieve a definitive solution that safeguards Lebanon’s rights and puts an end to instability.