Al-Rahi Discusses Lebanon, Hizbullah with al-Sisi

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday said he discussed the thorny issue of Hizbullah’s weapons in a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

“We talked about the issue of Hizbullah’s arms, which is not in the hands of the Lebanese anymore, and had there been a defense strategy, a part of the problem would have been solved,” al-Rahi said in an interview with Lebanon’s MTV.

“We tackled Lebanon’s domestic issues and al-Sisi expressed his regret over the state that Lebanon has reached,” the patriarch added. “I told him that Lebanon is ill and that we need to treat its illness, which is the failure to implement the Taef Accord,” al-Rahi went on to say.

“The solution is to declare neutrality,” the patriarch noted.

He added: “We regret that Lebanon has become isolated from the world and the Egyptian president is ready to support the Lebanese cause and he emphasized this to me.”

“We told him that the solutions are not in the hands of the Lebanese alone to implement and that there is a role for Arabs and the international community,” al-Rahi said.