by presidency.gov.lb -- President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, asserted that the celebration of Army Day comes this year in difficult circumstances the country is going through, under the weight of the accelerating regional and international developments in light of the widening life and economic difficulties faced by the military, and a large segment of the Lebanese. The President also stressed that he spares no effort to alleviate these difficulties within the available capabilities, and strives to keep Lebanon away from all interactions and influences. President Aoun noted that in parallel with Lebanon’s keenness to maintain calm and stability on its southern borders and stressed “Concern for our rights in our territorial waters and natural resources, which are rights that cannot be tolerated under any consideration”.

The President stated that “The on-going indirect negotiations to demarcate southern maritime borders’ first and last goal, is to preserve Lebanon’s rights, and to reach, through cooperation with the American mediator, conclusions that protect our rights and wealth, and achieve, upon the conclusion of negotiations, an opportunity to restore the economic situation in the country. “From my position, and as a reflection of my assumption of my constitutional responsibilities, I reiterate that, as I committed to holding the parliamentary elections, I will work with all my might, in order to provide the appropriate conditions for the election of a new president who will continue the arduous reform process that we have begun” President Aoun said. On the other hand, President Aoun indicated that “This national achievement can only be achieved if the new parliament, president and members, assumes its responsibilities in choosing whom the Lebanese find the personality and the appropriate qualifications to assume this responsibility”. In this context, President Aoun hoped that “The fate of the presidential elections will not be similar to the fate of forming the new government”, stressing that “The failure to form a government exposes the country to further turmoil and deepens economic and financial difficulties. The responsibility of those concerned is essential in preventing the country from further deterioration and slack”.

NNA - The US mediator tasked to hold indirect negotiations to demarcate the southern maritime border, Mr. Amos Hochstein, confirmed that the talks held with President of the Republic, General Michel Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Najib Mikati, were very important, expressing his optimism in additional progress in the file of demarcating the southern maritime borders. Hochstein also hoped to return to the region soon to reach desired results. Mr. Hochstein’s positions were expressed in the one and a half hour meeting held with the President of the Republic, the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister. The meeting was attended by: US Ambassador in Beirut, Ms. Dorothy Shea, Senior Adviser to the American Mediator, Mrs. Nadine Zaatar, the Director of Transnational Affairs of the Middle East and North Africa at the US National Security Council Ms. Lindsey Merrill and US Embassy diplomat Harald Olchen. On the Lebanese side, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab, Director General of the Presidency of the Republic, Dr. Antoine Choucair, Director General of General Security Major General Abbas Ibrahim, Advisor to the Speaker of Parliament Dr. Ali Hamdan and diplomatic advisor to the President of the Republic, Ambassador Osama Khashab, attended.

Mr. Hochstein presented the outcome of the consultations held with Israeli officials regarding the issue of demarcating the southern maritime borders, and listened to a unified Lebanese position in accordance with the declared Lebanese constants. After the meeting, Speaker Berri was asked whether the meeting was positive, and he replied “God willing, all is good”. For his part, Premier Mikati, did not make any statement as he left Baabda Palace, making a positive hand gesture. On the other hand, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab said “The atmosphere is positive. The gap in the differences in this file has narrowed and the time period that separates us from the return of the American mediator to Beirut it will be short”. MP Bou Saab also pointed out that “Everyone was satisfied, and we are waiting to achieve what was discussed during the meeting, and God willing, we will see results in the next few weeks in this field”. In response to a question, Deputy Parliament Speaker Bou Saab indicated that “No one asked us to cut down the blocks and extend the pipes. Lebanon demanded its entire blocks and nothing changed in its position. Hochstein never offered us any sharing of wealth, blocks or profits with the Israeli enemy”.

NNA - Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, presided this morning over Sunday Mass service in Diman. In his religious homily, the Patriarch underlined that “dropping the new government formation issue cannot be accepted as it if were just a detail in the structure of the Lebanese state system, knowing that the Taif Agreement made the Council of Ministers, along with the Presidency of the Republic, the pivotal pillar and the center of the executive authority.” He added: “There is no value for appointing a new prime minister if it is not followed by cabinet formation...We are surprised that those involved in forming the government are belittling this matter, contrary to the Constitution and the Taif Agreement.” Al-Rahi stressed that “the formation of a new government is a sign of respect for the democratic system, ensuring the completion of the contract of constitutional institutions, the functioning of governance and the separation of powers, and the continuation of legitimacy through a government with full powers in the event of an obstacle, God forbid, with regards to electing a new President of the Republic.”

The Patriarch continued to consider that “the existence of a legitimate government gives the state the ability to negotiate with the Arab and international communities, to take decisions and sign treaties,” adding, “What we fear is that if the political forces are unable today to form a government, then tomorrow they will be unable to elect a new president...and hence the huge fall!” “But we hope and pray that it won't happen...” he said.

Referring to the incident involving Archbishop Moussa al-Hajj, Patriarch al-Rahi considered that it constitutes a test of the extent of separating between religion and state. “Some were complaining about the interference of sects in the state, while the state attacked a constituent sect and a religious cleric, known for his piety and service to the people, who ought to have been respected by the state by preserving his movement between Lebanon and his parish...Instead, they fabricated an incident, turned it into a case, and organized media campaigns to distort the image of the Archbishop and the Church's humanitarian and national mission...” He added: “We reaffirm that working with an ‘enemy country’ was never part of our culture, our spirit and our dignity. We are the first to respect and defend the laws, so we ask the authority to respect and abide by them. We are the first to respect and defend the judiciary, but we ask judges and judicial officials to respect the sanctity of the judiciary and liberate it from maliciousness and dependence on political and sectarian forces.”

by adw.org -- Three United States Cardinals, who serve as Honorary Chairs of the Religious Advisory Board for In Defense of Christians, express fraternal solidarity WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the three (3) U.S. Cardinals who lead the Roman Catholic Archdioceses of Washington, D.C., New York and Galveston-Houston join with their Middle Eastern counterparts in a statement of support for the Maronite Bishops and Archbishop Moussa el-Hage, O.A.M., Maronite Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land, and Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan. Archbishop El-Hage was recently arrested, detained and interrogated by Lebanese authorities upon returning from his Episcopal See in Haifa. Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory, Galveston-Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, and New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan currently serve as Honorary Chairs of the Religious Advisory Board for the organization, In Defense of Christians. In Defense of Christians is the nonpartisan human rights and advocacy organization advocating for a Middle East in which the rights of every person are protected and respected regardless of religious creed, and in which ancient and diverse Christian and other religious minority communities of the Middle East thrive peacefully in their native lands.

Today, the three Cardinals, as the In Defense of Christians Religious Advisory Board Honorary Chairs, issue the following statement in support of the Maronite Bishops: “We join with His Eminence Béchara Boutros Cardinal Raï, the Maronite people, and others in the international community; we stand in fraternal solidarity with Archbishop Moussa el-Hage, O.A.M., Maronite Archbishop of the Archeparchy of Haifa and the Holy Land, and Patriarchal Exarch of Jerusalem, Palestine and Jordan.