Al-Rahi Hails Suleiman, Salam over New Cabinet, Says Army Spared Lebanon 'Major Disasters'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has lauded President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Tammam Salam over the formation of the new cabinet after an 11-month deadlock, hailing “the Lebanese Army which has spared Lebanon major disasters.”
“We had prayed for a new cabinet that opens the door for resolving the numerous crises in Lebanon and contributes to facilitating the election of a new president within the constitutional timeframe,” al-Rahi said in a speech at an annual ceremony marking Saint Maron's Day in Rome on Saturday evening.
“All the statements we've heard since the formation until now indicate that things are heading for the better and we would've preferred if all Lebanese forces were present in this cabinet to achieve the unity of the Lebanese family,” al-Rahi added, stressing that this “unity” must be “maintained and preserved.”
The patriarch saluted Suleiman “for his wisdom” and Salam “for his patience,” hoping the new cabinet will succeed in “serving Lebanon and the Lebanese.”
Separately, al-Rahi lauded the army, describing it as “the protector of the nation” and saying “it has recently spared Lebanon major disasters” through its “vigilance and sacrifices.”
Last week, the army arrested top Qaida-linked militant Naim Abbas, a Palestinian leader of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, whose confessions led to defusing two booby-trapped cars in Beirut and the Bekaa and seizing rockets and explosives in the al-Saadiyat and al-Dibbiyeh areas in the Shouf district.
“We are all looking forward to a better future for Lebanon and we have issued a national memorandum that was accepted by all Lebanese, Muslims and Christians, who have described it as a 'roadmap',” al-Rahi went on to say.
“We renew our hope that we will be able to move forward together hand in hand, while being aware of and loyal to the national constant principles that represent the guarantee for the endurance of our Lebanese homeland and its foundations,” the patriarch added.
