Al-Rahi Meets March 14 Delegation, Calls for Respecting Coexistence, National Pact to End Vacuum

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi highlighted on Tuesday the importance of Lebanon's diversity and coexistence among its people as factors that may help end the country's ongoing vacuum in the presidency.

He said: “Resolving the vacuum lies in adhering to coexistence, the National Pact, and Lebanon's system that implements this pact.”

He made his remarks after holding talks in Bkirki with a delegation of lawmakers from the March 14 alliance.

Officials must agree on a democratic solution that respects the constitution and elect a president, he declared.

Al-Rahi added: “We must remain faithful to Lebanon and set it as a priority above all sectarian and political interests.”

Furthermore, the patriarch stressed that all sides must acknowledge the errors they have committed against the constitution.

“There can be no legitimacy to any authority that contradicts the National Pact,” he added.

MP Butros Harb later stated after the talks: “We agreed with al-Rahi to call all MPs to meet under his sponsorship in order to agree on steps that will facilitate the election of a president.”

“We will consider parliament in a constant state of session as stipulated in the constitution and we will exert efforts to ensure that MPs are present at the parliament on a daily basis to elect a president,” he added.

“We will consider the needed quorum after the first round of the polls as a simple majority,” he continued.

He also revealed that a committee has been formed to communicate with Speaker Nabih Berri to inform him of the details of the meeting with al-Rahi.

The patriarch's media office later explained that he did not give his opinion on the proposal on quorum, but agreed to discuss it with Berri.

Established in 1943, the National Pact demands that the president be a Maronite, the speaker a Shiite and the prime minister a Sunni.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014 when the term of Michel Suleiman ended without the election of a successor.

Ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate have thwarted the polls.

M.T.

H.K.

Comments 28
Missing humble 26 May 2015, 13:09

Who has destroyed the National Unity and the hope of living together like real partners????
Who ???

Thumb chrisrushlau 26 May 2015, 16:19

It is Article 24 of the Constitution, which M.T., H.K., Naharnet and the Patriarch seem to have forgotten about, which reserves half of Parliament to Christians, if any can be located. Whether Muslims are three quarters of the population, which they are, or one quarter, such an Article destroys the Constitution. Look at the current paralysis: it is the result of Article 24.
I'll wager that not one person in a hundred in the US has heard of the effects of Article 24 of the Lebanese Constitution, but that a quarter know that the President is this, the Speaker that, and the Premier the other. Does that ignorance help Lebanon or hurt it? I used to pity Lebanon, but now I only pity the warlords, their sons, and this Patriarch above all, who apparently thinks racism is part of the Gospel: "coexistence means that one Christian is as good as three Muslims": is that the formula for peace in heart and home?

Thumb -phoenix1 26 May 2015, 16:58

Chris O dear Chris,.... 3 blind mice went up the clock, the clock struck one and the other 2 got away with minor injuries. Your calender is still 200 years behind, you brood over this.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 May 2015, 13:40

Most of the Lebanese want unity, most want to move on with life, but for as long as we have people like Hezbollah and their puppets at the FPM, this country will be kept divided with their fake values and promises. What really worries me is the propagation of hatred and suspicion both Hezbollah and FPM cause to the people. last week, since we are now beginning the end of year festivities in schools and univs, in one univ, students were celebrating, when FPM students started insulting Kataeb students. As usual a fight broke out, FPM students as usual were "rabbitfied" like their claoun leader, only the rapid interference of the army saved the night for them.

Thumb Mystic 26 May 2015, 14:00

If we all followed M14s corrupted values, then Lebanon would be Da3ishland by now.

Thumb Mystic 26 May 2015, 14:03

Or part of Greater Israel.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 May 2015, 14:16

Mystic, you can recite your party slogan day and night, you can do so till kingdom come, just to remind you, not everything that glitters is gold and the same goes for bad smell, not every that smells bad is sh*t. The same goes, if Hezbollah has fabricated stories after stories, that doesn't mean that every Shiite or Metweleh is a liar, you got my drift brother? talking of which, did you say corrupt? What do you say of Hezbollah's corrupt values, I mean you're running the country, will you accept me to audit you guys? Party doctrine is one thing, reality is quite another thing. There is a reason why North Korea is where it is today and South Korea is where it is today. This is how I'd compare Hezbollah and its M8 lackeys to M14.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 May 2015, 14:21

Mystic, you said and I quote, "If we all followed M14s corrupted values, then Lebanon would be Da3ishland by now.", end of quote. Rafic Hariri literally ruled Lebanon since the end of the civil war to the day he was brutally assassinated by your masters in Damascus and its Lebanese lackeys. Ya habibi ya khaye, during all these years, Lebanon was being rebuilt, it was prosperous, we had seasonal festivals including shopping festivals, Lebanon was booming, till you killed this guy and made it worst by going to war with Israel in July 2006. You tell me bro, during all these years, was there any Daesh, or Isis, or Al Nusra? They appeared when YOUR Hezbollah went to war in Syria, and you were very clearly warned of the consequences. For God's sake, stop your party propaganda, it doesn't stick anymore.

Thumb Mystic 26 May 2015, 15:00

That's very typical phalange thinking. Do you see Hezb go to Ashrafieh telling you how to live your lives? No, hezb runs themselves not the country. Da3ish will most certainly wanna run your lives convert you all, rape all our people. So you might aswell wake up before it is too late.

Thumb thepatriot 26 May 2015, 15:19

phoenix... Mastika does not read you, does not understand you, is not interested. He is brainwashed, brain-dead, brainless... good effort, but you're wasting your time with him. He has no arguments, no counter arguments, no reflection... he belongs to where he stands...

Thumb Mystic 26 May 2015, 15:21

You know phoenix, sometimes it could be tempting just to let ISIS and Nusra roam freely in Lebanon for a day or two, just to see if Geagea was right about them being the same as the Resistance.

Thumb Mystic 26 May 2015, 15:55

Al Qaeda have been in Lebanon long before the war in Syria, so you people better get your facts straight, Ahmad Assir was a freedom seeking saint according to you?

Thumb -phoenix1 26 May 2015, 16:51

Now to your beloved Daesh, or ISIS, do you think we haven't seen as bad? In the civil war, weren't we Christians destined to the slaughter house? Weren't every single Muslim in this country after our necks? The Damour, Saadiyet and and Jiyyeh massacres or rather genocides, just to name a few, what do you call these? But didn't we Christians organize and fight the Muslims of the time, the Saudis, Egyptians, Libyans, Yemenis, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Senegalese, Algerians, Tunisians, Somalians, Syrians, Palestinians, and what more my brother? wasn't our heads for sale? So if Isis or Daesh or Nusra want to try, let them, personally I would be back to my normal self, and so would everyone else, you forgot that we're still around.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 May 2015, 16:56

But you ya Mystic you keep forgetting my clarion calls for unity, you have forgotten that people like the Phoenix want unity above everything. You keep forgetting that people like me are NOT against Hezbollah if it should wish to continue like everyone else in the democratic national process and hand over its weapons to the state. You keep forgetting that most of us are vehemently against Daesh, Isis, Nusra and all that evil trash, to me they are the worst of the worst, but it is your Hezbollah that prioritizes Syria and Yemen before its fellow Lebanese, why do you keep ignoring our calls and instead wrongly focus of Phalanges, LF, Mustaqbal hence and so forth. So long as you sow discord so long as you will reap thorns before the fruits.

Thumb -phoenix1 26 May 2015, 16:45

Mystic, I am now in the belief that the Phalange are your specter of all bad things past, present and future. Well dear brother, if I can't change your mind rest assured I wouldn't ply to your argument either. You see, the Phalanges had the power in their hands in 1982, all the power they wanted, yet what did the leader of the Phalange do, but show in the clearest and most absolute of terms that he and his party are Lebanese, just plain simple Lebanese, so on this do cut the cow dung will you? Now to Hezbollah, please you tell me, what have you been trying to do to us all Lebanese, aren't you trying by all means to impose your Pax-Irania/Syriana on everyone? Has it worked? Will it ever work? The answer is a plain flat NO, and you know why this is so? because of the Phalange, ah, these Phalange, aren't they a real pain in the neck? Sad to say this to you, we will always be a pain in the neck, always, it's an old habit, and it's called patriotism.

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 17:41

For someone who is brainwashed and addicted to Al Manar and OTV insidious disinformation, what do you say is the % of hope to recover and become again a normal human being?
The people in the Cavern of Plato were in the dark and could not see but shadows. There were like blind persons. When one of them was exposed to daylight, he had to close his eyes and thus remained blind to reality...

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 17:46

Do you listen to DNA where disinformation and manipulations are exposed ? Very educating.

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 14:59

Miss Tic and Toc Toc
Shu hal mastuul hayda? Wa7ad habileh...
His arguments are completely nonsense....why should we lose time reading insanities???

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 15:07

Miss Tic and Toc Toc
Do you accuse Israel or Ebola of destroying the National Unity and the hope of living together ?

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 15:09

May be you don't care about the living together, because your plans are to overtake the whole country and change it into an Islamic Republic ???

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 15:17

May be you want to have "Teheran-on-Sea" and live in a backaged civilization. I tell you we will never accept to live under a stone age culture wether from Iran, ISIS or any other one!
If you want to live with us, you have to start thinking about other values. Like democracy, freedom, justice, equality, peace, prosperity, friendship, conviviality, acceptance, openness, trust, honesty, integrity, ethics, respect, ....help and mutual support to build a beautiful country.

Thumb thepatriot 26 May 2015, 15:21

I don't think he is with M14 at all. But he now is against Aoun, and that says a lot...

Thumb EagleDawn 26 May 2015, 16:11

he was never in favor of M14. He was more pro aoun from his early days. He cannot hide behind his finger anymore and must call things as they are.

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 16:12

Ebola is going to loose outside and in order to counterbalance its defeat (and the defeat of the Butcher) Ebola is likely to flex its muscles internally by committing a new error like occupying Beirut or even Baabda...

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 16:16

Mystico

I have never seen so many insanities, stupidities, idiocies ...
What do you want? You want to say that a curve is a straight line and that 2+2 = 22?
You want to say that others are criminals when you are committing the crimes by killing and doing wars.
You want to say that we are Zionists because we do not approve your evilness.
You want to say that we are ISIS only because we do not like your intervention in Syria.
You want to say that we are Wahhabis because we are against you interfering in the affairs of Yemen.
You want to say that we spread hatred, because you have stolen our State decision and because we want peace and not war.
Well. You are absolutely right. I am fed up with you and agree that we must separate. I cannot live with idiots and satanic people.

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 16:17

Dare answering...if you can!!!

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 18:11

I will answer instead of Miss Tico Toc-Toc:

You humble and beoble like you from M14 are zionists and baid by ISIS to stand against the glorious Resistance. You are behind the takfiris and you are helbing them in Arsal while Israel is helbing them in the Golan. You and Israel are with Amrika to imblant Balestinians in Lebanon. But we will free Jerusalem and what is beyond Jerusalem and beyond the beyond...even if Balestinians make beace with the zionists we will continue until the last Balestinian and the last Cristhian...without us who can brotect your churches in Jounieh? Who can brotect the Cristhians?
You Takfiris of M14 are breventing the election of a bresident. Only the general of generals will be bresident. If he is not elected he will destroy everything. If he is elected we will govern everything. You Cristhians will not become dhimmis we bromise you.

Missing humble 26 May 2015, 18:15

Short reply from humble:

Caporal is a mentally ill person. It is not acceptable to have a president who is neurasthenic.