Aoun Blames Bishops Abduction on 'Countries Fueling War' in Syria
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun on Tuesday blamed the abduction of two Christian bishops near Aleppo on "the countries that are fueling the war" in Syria.
"We want to know the objectives of the Arab Spring after the destruction of churches in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria, Israel and Iraq. Why are they targeting landmarks and committing abductions," Aoun said in an interview on his movement's mouthpiece OTV.
Chechen fighters abducted Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Aleppo Youhanna Ibrahim and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan of Aleppo Boulos al-Yaziji on Monday in the village of Kafr Dael near the city of Aleppo while they were on a “humanitarian mission to free two priests kidnapped two months ago," a source in the Greek Orthodox diocese said Tuesday.
The two bishops were reportedly released later on Tuesday, according to the French "Oeuvre d'Orient" association which cited Syrian sources.
"Isn't this enough for us to realize that Christians are being targeted?" Aoun asked rhetorically.
"We will not raise our voice against the kidnappers, but rather against the countries that are fueling this war ideologically, financially and militarily," Aoun said.
"Do they want to take us back to barbarism?" he added.
Aoun noted that countries sponsoring the fighters will not exert any efforts to free the bishops, despite their verbal condemnations.
Turning to the Lebanese electoral law, Aoun said: "Some time ago, the Lebanese Forces and the Phalange Party proposed the possibility of reaching consensus (over an electoral law). I agreed on that and the (Maronite) partiarch (Beshara al-Rahi) was inclined to agree, but we didn't believe that a consensus would be reached, that's why we suspended the Orthodox (Gathering proposal) with the aim of reaching consensus, but unfortunately this attempt did not achieve anything."
"Who is harming the National Pact? Those who are demanding their rights or those who are shunning the parliament?" Aoun asked.
"Our rights have been usurped since the Taef Accord was adopted … Either they propose a law in an acceptable manner or I will consider that the work of the (parliamentary) subcommittee has reached a dead end and the parliament speaker must call for a (plenary) session” to vote on an electoral law, Aoun added.
He called on those opposing the controversial Orthodox Gathering draft law, under which each sect would elect its own MPs, to vote against it in parliament or propose another law.
Earlier on Tuesday, the parliamentary subcommittee's chairman MP Robert Ghanem announced the suspension of its meetings due to “the very huge gap” among the rival lawmakers.
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