Pietton Tells al-Rahi French Officials Were 'Pleased to Host Him'

French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton on Wednesday told Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi that the French authorities were “pleased to host him” during his recent trip to Paris.

A statement issued by the French embassy following a visit by Pietton to the seat of the Maronite church in Bkirki said the ambassador told al-Rahi his visit to France “confirms the perpetuation of a tradition that reflects the steady, immune relations with the Maronite patriarchate, which represents … an important national authority in Lebanon.”

Pietton has said his government was “disappointed” by al-Rahi’s recent remarks on the Syrian crisis and Hizbullah’s arms.

Bkirki sources told the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa daily on Tuesday that al-Rahi was demanding an apology from Pietton before setting a date to meet him.

The patriarch rejects the ambassador’s criticism of al-Rahi’s statements and “will not meet him unless he makes an apology and provides an explanation on his remarks about French disappointment” from the prelate, the sources said.

During his visit to Paris, al-Rahi said Syrian President Bashar Assad should be given the chance to introduce reform over his fear that the collapse of the regime would lead to the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood to power in Syria.

Al-Rahi also linked the fate of Hizbullah’s weapons to the liberation of the remaining Israeli-occupied Lebanese territories.

However, the French embassy’s statement issued Wednesday said al-Rahi’s visit to France was an “occasion to hold frank and cordial talks with the top French authorities, during which the problems affecting the situations in Lebanon in the region were discussed, especially the events in Syria.”

It also noted that the patriarch and the French officials “tackled particularly the ongoing repression in Syria and the acts of violence against the population, and these incidents’ possible negative repercussions on the minorities in the region.”

“France, for its part, believes that the controversy that followed this visit was unfortunate and unwarranted, but stresses that it will not leave any repercussions on the firmness of the unbreakable ties between France and the Maronite church and between France and Lebanon and all its components,” the statement noted.

Following the storm of controversy al-Rahi’s remarks stirred in Lebanon, and criticism by the March 14 forces which accused him of abandoning Bkirki’s historic principles, the patriarch said his statements were “misinterpreted” and “taken out of context.”