Thousands of Lebanese unite in support of the Maronite Patriarch
Patriarch Béchara Raï called on the Lebanese "not to be silent in the face of illegal weapons".
AP - Bilal Hussein
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Thousands of Lebanese gathered on Saturday February 27 to support Patriarch Béchara Raï, who is demanding that the Lebanese crisis be resolved within the framework of an international conference sponsored by the United Nations.
An initiative strongly criticized by Shiite Hezbollah.
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With our correspondent in Beirut,
Paul Khalifeh
Despite the curfew imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus, there were thousands on Saturday in the courtyard of the Maronite Patriarchate, north of Beirut.
Addressing the crowd, Patriarch Béchara Raï did not mince his words.
He reiterated his call for an international conference to be held in order to support the Lebanese army.
It must be, according to him, the only force responsible for defending Lebanon.
It is up to the army to hold the decision on peace or war, he added, before calling on the Lebanese "
not to be silent in the face of illegal weapons
".
Without citing him by name, the head of the Maronite Church was referring to Hezbollah, the only Lebanese party to still have a powerful military wing to fight against Israel.
In front of a crowd chanting slogans hostile to the Shiite party, the Maronite patriarch once again pleaded for the neutrality of the Lebanese state vis-à-vis regional conflicts.
A concept that will have to be introduced into the country's Constitution thanks to the international conference it calls for.
The patriarch's initiative is not unanimous among the Lebanese.
The party of President Michel Aoun, which has the largest Christian bloc in Parliament is opposed to it, favoring internal dialogue.
Hezbollah rejects it without appeal, likening it to "
an attack on sovereignty
" or even an "
occupation
".
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Lebanon
Michel Aoun
Hezbollah