Report: Rahi Likely to Visit Gulf Region, Vatican in May

W460

Maronite Patriarch Beshara el-Rahi prepares to make a tour to Gulf countries and the Vatican in mid May, al-Markazia news agency reported on Friday.

The Patriarch will reportedly visit the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and the Arab League. At the Vatican, Markaziya said he will visit Pope Francis to discuss his initiative on the neutralization of Lebanon and the calls for an international conference on Lebanon.

The tour comes as a continuation of Rahi’s meetings with Arab, international and local delegations, that met the Patriarch earlier this year at the patriarchal edifice in Bkirki. After these discussions, Rahi considered that his initiative needed an international decision, the agency stated.

According to unnamed sources, the Russian position aligns with the calls to neutralize Lebanon and so do the Arab, European, French and American stances.

The sources pinned significance on Rahi’s trip to the UAE being as a “decision-maker” in the Gulf as a whole.

“This matter will not happen overnight,” said the sources on condition of anonymity. “The late Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir proposed a project for the exit of the Syrian army in September 2000, but the matter was not achieved until 2005. Today, Patriarch Rahi is working hard to achieve neutrality in Lebanon and seeks an international conference to discuss the intractable Lebanese crisis, where friendly countries contribute to finding solutions,” said the sources.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 1
Missing kazan 17 April 2021, 11:35

Batrak: in line with the saying, "The first step to knowledge is to be aware and admit our ignorance."; I would say, if we want neutrality, my question is "how come we are not neutral?"
I know the answer, by the way.