NNA – Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, considered in the New Year’s mass that “Lebanon is sick with the loss of its identity, and like any patient who complains of losing his health, it must be returned to him…Because of its geographical location, its religious and cultural diversity, its openness to all countries, and its historical role as a cultural, economic and commercial bridge, a place of convergence and dialogue, and an element of stability in the region, Lebanon is a state whose identity is positive and active neutrality.” Al-Rahi commended the initial and promising step taken by the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister and the Minister of Interior by setting a date for the parliamentary elections and signing a decree to hold them.

The Patriarch stressed the necessity of holding the legislative elections under the supervision of international observers, especially that there is a desire among the Lebanese public opinion and the United Nations. Commenting on the President of the Republic’s invitation to hold a national dialogue session, Al-Rahi considered that the internal dialogues that he had always welcomed and supported remained unimplemented, preferring, in the event of an appropriate atmosphere in the future, to launch a national dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations within the framework of an international conference that gives a guarantee for an international and operational mechanism.

Finally, he attributed the reason for holding an international conference to the fact that some aspects of the Lebanese crisis are related to regional and international issues such as the fate of Palestinian refugees, the return of displaced Syrians, and the resolution of border and security problems with Israel.