by dailytimes.com.pk —They are a common sight around Beirut, but their presence barely registers with Lebanese citizens anymore. Nearly 30 years after …

As a brother, I ask you to remain in peace. I ask you from my heart, let's go forward' At the end of a highly unusual spiritual retreat for the political leaders of warring factions, Pope Francis knelt at the feet of the leaders of South Sudan, begging them to give peace a chance and to be worthy “fathers of the nation.” “As a brother, I ask you to remain in peace. I ask you from my heart, let’s go forward. There will be many problems, but do not be afraid,” he told the leaders, speaking without a text at the end of the meeting. “You have begun a process, may it end well,” he said. “There will be disagreements among you, but may they take place ‘in the office’ while, in front of your people, you hold hands; in this way, you will be transformed from simple citizens to fathers of the nation.” “The purpose of this retreat is for us to stand together before God and to discern his will,” he said in his formal remarks on April 11, closing the two-day retreat in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the Vatican guesthouse where he lives. The retreat participants included South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and four of the nation’s five designated vice presidents: Riek Machar, James Wani Igga, Taban Deng Gai and Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior. Under the terms of a peace agreement signed in September, the vice presidents were to take office together May 12, sharing power and ending the armed conflict between clans and among communities. The retreat was the idea of Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, spiritual leader of the Anglican Communion, who attended the final part of the gathering. He and Pope Francis have been supporting the peace efforts of the South Sudan Council of Churches and, the Pope said again on April 11, they hope to visit South Sudan together when there is peace.

BEIRUT,(Xinhua) — EU Ambassador to Lebanon Christina Lassen said on Friday that the EU will actively cooperate with Lebanon in the fight …

by thenationalherald.com --Europe has not assumed the obligations it should have assumed in the Middle East war, President Prokopios Pavlopoulos stressed on Thursday during his meeting with the president of Lebanon, General Michel Aoun. “Our great European family has not assumed the part of its responsibilities, based on its history and culture, as far as it regards the war in the Middle East with significant consequences on the people and their fundamental rights,” President Pavlopoulos said.

The Greek president, in Lebanon following an invitation by his counterpart, invited Aoun to visit Greece and referred to bilateral relations between the two countries as “a resounding answer to those who claim that there is a conflict of civilizations.” He added that during these troubled times, there is a lack of communication and mutual understanding between cultures, which is dangerous for their peaceful coexistence. “Our countries and our peoples resist this lack of communication and mutual understanding bravely and decisively.” Regarding outstanding issues in the region including those concerning Lebanon, he said they need to be resolved in a constructive spirit on the basis of the International Law and the decisions of the United Nations. “Such a solution can only be found after the territorial integrity of Lebanon is safeguarded across the breadth and the length of its maritime and land borders, and after respecting the right of all countries in the region, without exceptions, to live in security within their recognised borders, according to international law,” he noted.