A call by Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai to declare Lebanon’s neutrality and distance the country from regional and international conflicts remains at the center of political talks, despite many differences over it.
While the Patriarchate is preparing a document to be the basis for a national dialogue on neutrality, sources close to President Michel Aoun said that Rai’s proposal was “not a priority,” noting that the current efforts should be focused on addressing the economic and financial crisis.
Following a meeting with a delegation from Kataeb party on Monday, Rai said: “Our entry into alliances has caused us total isolation and neutrality alone is the source of stability.”
He continued: “The system of neutrality is the translation of the words mentioned in the preamble of the Constitution, which says: Lebanon is a final homeland for all its people.”
“This is our history and this is our culture and civilization. This is how we have lived for 40 years. Lebanon adopts neutrality and commits to public causes, peace, human rights and the culture of dialogue and civilizations,” the patriarch emphasized.
With Rai’s repeated stances on the issue of neutrality since early July, the Patriarchate sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that it was working on a document to serve as a basis for an expanded national dialogue.
Asked about Hezbollah’s position, the sources noted the presence of indirect communication with the party, adding that the latter did not express its position to the patriarch over the matter.
Rai is expected to conduct a visit to the Vatican in the coming days. The sources said that Lebanon’s neutrality would be raised during his talks with Holy See officials, as well as with other countries, which have long supported the country’s dissociation from regional conflicts, including France.
On the other hand, sources close to the Lebanese presidency stressed that working on this proposal was “not a priority” at the present time.
“The people’s social concerns and the economic and financial crisis that Lebanon is going through remain the most important,” the sources underlined.
“We do not know what the patriarch has, but according to the information, there is no roadmap, but descriptions of the issue of neutrality in the absence of any mechanism,” they remarked.
Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora saw that Rai “has put his finger on a fundamental problem that is almost the main problem in Lebanon.”
He stressed that Hezbollah was tightening its grip on the Lebanese state, which is causing repercussions on the political, economic, living and security levels.
