Rahi Urges World Leaders to 'Peacefully End' Regional Wars
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Thursday "appealed" to world leaders to "peacefully" end the wars ravaging in the region, after tensions mounted between the United States and Russia over an alleged chemical attack against civilians in Syria.
"We appeal to the international community, to the conscience of world powers to work on ending wars and to bring peace through diplomatic means. Peoples of the Middle East have the right to live in peace, and we know how wars begin, but we do not know how they end," said Rahi addressing the international community.
"Regretfully, the language of peace is absent between states. We also regret the situation the Syrian people have reached which affects Lebanon, particularly the economic situation," added the Patriarch.
The United Nations warned world powers against letting the crisis over an alleged chemical attack against civilians in Syria from "spiraling out of control" after US President Donald Trump said "missiles will be coming.
Tensions mounted over a face-off with Damascus-ally Russia. Opponents of unilateral US action called an emergency closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council for Thursday. Britain also scheduled an emergency cabinet meeting.
Trump's bellicose tweets came in response to a warning from Russia's ambassador to Beirut, who took to a television network run by Hizbullah to declare that any US missiles would be shot down "as well as the sources they were fired from."
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/244782 |