France: We are Committed to Christians in Lebanon, Syria, Middle East

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

The French Foreign Ministry stressed on Monday the importance of the presence of the Christian communities in the East, refuting some Lebanese media reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy supported the immigration of Christians in the East to Europe in light of the developments in the region.

It said in a statement: “France is committed to the Christian presence in Lebanon, Syria, and the Middle East.”

It reiterated Sarkozy’s statements in January in which he said that Christians have lived in the East for 2,000 years, and therefore it would be unacceptable for this humanitarian, cultural, and spiritual diversity to disappear.

It voiced its confidence in the “central role they play as they have demonstrated their commitment to freedom in the ongoing democratic process in the region.”

Ad Diyar daily had reported last week that Sarkozy had proposed to Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during his visit to France that since the Christian population in Lebanon has dwindled to 1.3 million and 2.5 million in Syria, then why don’t they all immigrate to Europe?

He explained that Europe is capable of harboring them since it accommodated the two million Iraqi Christians who fled the war in their country.

The French president added that given the clash of civilizations in the Middle East, especially between Muslims and Christians, there is no room left for Christians in the East, reported the daily.

Al-Rahi reacted to the suggestion with incredulity, wondering how such a matter could be possible, to which Sarkozy responded by showing him statistics that three million Christians immigrated from Lebanon during the past 20 years.

Comments 19
Thumb mouallek 26 September 2011, 13:09

I doubt that such a conversation occurred between RAI and SARKOZY but I cannot but understand the reasons for immigating in Europe where all people of all origins and faiths have the same opportunities.
When you apply for a job in the administration no one will ask you if you are catholic, protestant or orthodox,maronite,sunni, shiite or bouddhist. Only your diplomas, abilities and skills are taken into consideration contrarily to what is happening now in Lebanon!

Missing ms29 26 September 2011, 13:16

muslims are going to be the majority in france in the next 20 years . why would christians in lebanon take advice from you sarkozy?

Missing youssefhaddad 26 September 2011, 13:32

The problem of the Middle Eastern Christians could no longer be served by external protection or by hiding behind tyrants and despots.
The only hope is in the ongoing enlightment of the people of the region and their understanding that freedom and secular based justice is a guarantee for all confessionsagaiinst sectarian hegemony and the imposition of one way of life on all.

Thumb ado.australia 26 September 2011, 14:04

Sarkozy is a Jew, who is working hard on the Kissinger plan of removing christains from Lebanon and naturalizing the Palestinians in their place. Mowaten is 100% right that Israel and the u.s. want the region to be Muslim with only a Jewish Israel as the representative of western "judean/christain" values. "judean/christain values" is their new favorite saying in the U.S., especially on fox news.

Anyway, sarkozy will be gone by November.

Default-user-icon Mireille (Guest) 30 June 2013, 03:46

This will never happen. We as lebanese christians are determined to stay in our home country forever. Btw, our birth rate is getting higher. Too bad for haters.

Default-user-icon Leb (Guest) 26 September 2011, 14:48

Christians, Christians and Christians. Aren't we responsible for what's happening to us ? Anyways the lebanese people is the strongest, the best, the most clever, we hare heros and + we see all the bad thingsin others and not in us.

The reality is that the Religions is what killing us in the middle east. I am happy to be in europe + all what Sarko is doing is thinking to his countrie's interests. If he bring the christians to his country, then they will not have problems to adapt to the french culture and + he will be able to conquer the most interesting business arenas in the middle east .

Guys, Tla3o men osset al mou2amarat, Everyone works for his own interest.

Un dicton Francais disait :

" La reine n'a ni d'amis ni d'ennemis, elle n'a que des interets "

Default-user-icon Lebanese to Stay (Guest) 26 September 2011, 14:53

Move to Europe?!

We're Lebanese, and we're here to stay! We work in the world and do our part to upgrade and send money to our beloved, cherished, special Lebanon. But with all respect Sarko, we cannot be de-rooted, are from thus land that even Jesus walked on and turned water into wine (Qana).

Default-user-icon Beiruti (Guest) 26 September 2011, 15:26

And in 1978, Jimmy Carter sent over an aircraft carrier to evacuate Lebanese Christians from Lebanon. They left empty.

The Christians of Lebanon have been there for 2000 years. They have been persecuted by the Byzantines, the Ottomans, the Selyuks and all others, but every invader ever to come to Lebanon has left empty handed and destroyed. As the Romans and Greeks before the current pretenders in Lebanon, the Iranian theocracy will crumble and fall before the Christians in Lebanon will and the Jewish state of Israel will run out of water and return to dust before the Christians of Lebanon will leave.
The Christians of Lebanon are a fact, not a problem to which solutions must be found. Thirty two years of Iranian theocracy (1979) is only a blink of the eye. And 63 years of the State of Israel (1948), too, look like nothing compared to 1609 years of the Maronite presence in Lebanon (402 AD). We have stood the test of time, the others have yet to pass.

Default-user-icon Christian Lebanese (Guest) 26 September 2011, 15:32

What kind of stupid comments are these? Christian Lebanese are not a rare species that needs to be preserved. We (together with moslems) ARE Lebanon. We have been on this land for 2000 yrs and are here to stay. We are attached to our land, we are educated, we have money. We want to live in cohabitation with our friends the moslems of Lebanon in our country. And we will do so. And we will break the hand of those who even consider uprooting us. Lebanon's democracy is still young. 60 years. (France had its revolution in 1792 and stabilized in the 1850s.) Give us a few decades. things will get better. Meanwhile moslems in France will become a majority, we will start proposing to Sarko and the gang to send christians of France to come to Lebanon.

Thumb geha 26 September 2011, 17:07

if addiyar issued stupid assumptions, it does not mean they are true. anyway they were denied officially in France.
it is the iranians who offered this Patriarch money to give up Lassa land and move on. it is the iranians who are using the same zionist tactics to push all Lebanese out of this country.

Default-user-icon neutral (Guest) 26 September 2011, 17:15

I would like to ask sarkazmi if we tell him the same thing to leave france because the moslems are majority . What would he say?That sob is full of merde. Does he know that there are about 3 million lebanese christians still attached to their homeland and visit it all the time and waiting for peace so they can go back. ?>??????why doesint he ask for the christians to go back to lebanon istead of asking them to leave???? why doesnt he ask the jews to leave and give the palestinians their land?????? they are minorities too. yet they are invaders and occupiers .

Default-user-icon neutral (Guest) 26 September 2011, 17:15

I would like to ask sarkazmi if we tell him the same thing to leave france because the moslems are majority . What would he say?That sob is full of merde. Does he know that there are about 3 million lebanese christians still attached to their homeland and visit it all the time and waiting for peace so they can go back. ?>??????why doesint he ask for the christians to go back to lebanon istead of asking them to leave???? why doesnt he ask the jews to leave and give the palestinians their land?????? they are minorities too. yet they are invaders and occupiers .

Thumb jabalamel 26 September 2011, 18:20

sarkozy is dedicated to bottle of viskey only.

Default-user-icon MUSTAPHA O. GHALAYINI (Guest) 26 September 2011, 18:52

christians are the roots of this land ,dont commit urself like an hypocrite.
the muslim and christian and jews of this land will stay on THEIR land,
but the strangers like the jews of the diaspora coming as settlers,we will not commit ourselves to keep them like the hungarian jews who come to france serving the sionist entity and only the supposed "holocaust survivors".

Default-user-icon Sigamdondi (Guest) 26 September 2011, 19:53

As of when, though? 2037? And then, where? After they flee for their miserable lives because of criminals and liars like France and the US? We need more specifics.

Missing realist 26 September 2011, 22:13

the facts on the ground is that Hizbala is the real threat to the christian communities by buying large parts of land in purely christian areas and building huseineat in a copy-paste tactic to that of their israeli friends who build settlements in palestenian lands. Another fact is that the sunis have been the prime advocates of the munasafa (50-50). That is normal...because vast majorities can accomodate minorities (the US white people voted a black man in office) while minorities eat from each other's shares.

Now who would believe that sarko actually said such horrible things to ra3i?? someone with minimum diploimatic education wouldn't say such crap..unless you really believe so much in Al-diyar!! what a joke lol.

S. Gaega is very smart and he rightly understands that the strategic christian interest is with the Arab world where they belonged for thousands of years and not with iran.

Thumb jabalamel 26 September 2011, 22:46

and here it is...another zionist information war department slime....this news has nothing remotely connected to hezb'allah, but here it is, spitting and sliming and spewing hate hate hate, sectarian hate

Default-user-icon neutral (Guest) 27 September 2011, 14:40

if the march 14 people extend their hands in brotherhood to hizballah do you think they are going to refuse them?no way they will welcome them and join hands to save lebanon. but unfortunatly is about being the boss. every one wants to boss in lebanon. Just like they say in the states. too many chiefs and no indians. uniting the lebanese people is the only way to save the blood shed. If this does not happen say adios lebanon. I pitty every one who thinks the batrak is wrong. the guy is intelligent and knows well what he is doing. he is doing exactly what christ would do . spread peace and love. yet many people on here scrambled so fast to crucifie him.
dont be jews people. or maybe you are. i cant tell on here.

Default-user-icon Tadeusz Hutyra (Guest) 27 September 2011, 14:53

Christians MUST be protected in ALL countries of the Middle East! Muslims must learn to behave in civilized ways and accept the presence of Christians. Bill of Rights for the Middle East!