Ministers discuss in Diman 'societal values, national unity'

A consultative ministerial meeting in Diman called Tuesday for expediting the election of a president and for cooperation with Syria and world powers to resolve the refugee crisis.

"We call on all Lebanese to protect the Lebanese formula by consolidating our belonging to our inclusive national identity," the ministers said in a statement after the meeting.

The ministers also called on all political forces to hold on to the Taef Accord and to the National Pact.

Last week, Mikati met with Maronite patriarch Beshara al-Rahi and announced a ministerial meeting at al-Rahi's summer seat. He said the meeting will discuss human values and national unity.

Mikati later clarified that the meeting is not a cabinet session "but rather a meeting to consult over the national issues," after several media outlets reported that the Prime Minister had called for a cabinet session in Diman.

The Free Patriotic Movement ministers, who claim all cabinet sessions are "unconstitutional" amid a presidential vacuum, boycotted the meeting.

"The idea of holding this gathering was spontaneous," al-Rahi said during the meeting. "This is not a cabinet session but a spontaneous meeting for consultation and dialogue on all public issues," he added, stressing that Diman always calls for unity and that it is sad that some have misinterpreted the meeting.

In their statement, the ministers also criticized a rhetoric "that contradicts the religious and moral values" ​​of the Lebanese, claiming that this rhetoric is disguised as a propaganda of modernity, freedom and human rights.

Religiously diverse Lebanon is one of the Middle East's more liberal countries, and the LGBTQ community has long been visible and outspoken, defying crackdowns on its bars, nightclubs and community centers. But it has continued to face systematic social, economic and legal discrimination.

Last month, Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stepped up his attacks against the LGBTQ communities in Lebanon and the region, as he accused some educational institutions and NGOs of "promoting" same-sex relations to children.