Al-Rahi Accuses Complacent MPs of ‘Great Treason’ for Failing to Elect President

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. (Reuters)
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. (Reuters)
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Al-Rahi Accuses Complacent MPs of ‘Great Treason’ for Failing to Elect President

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. (Reuters)
Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi launched on Sunday a scathing attack against “complacent” MPs who have failed to elect a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended in November.

During his Sunday sermon, he said the lawmakers’ blind following of their political leaders was tantamount to “great treason.”

The Lebanese people are suffering from poverty and hunger. They are deprived of food and medicine. They don’t have rights and justice. All of this is the result of the poor performance of politicians, who have betrayed the people, declared al-Rahi.

“By blindly following their leaders, the MPs are refraining from electing a new president and consequently, deepening the crises at constitutional and public institutions,” he continued.

“They are deepening the people’s misery and forcing them to immigrate. Isn’t this great treason? Rather, isn’t this a great crime against the Lebanese people and state?” he asked.

They speak of the need for dialogue to agree on a presidential candidate through consensus, while others are clinging on to their candidate and seek to impose him on others, added al-Rahi.

Should dialogue actually happen, then Lebanon and its people should be its top priority. This will then be followed by the search for the best candidate who can lead the country during these conditions, he explained.

Meanwhile, parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was “not pessimistic” over the presidential impasse.

He revealed that he will not call parliament to convene to elect a president until he senses that a candidate can be chosen or senses “real competition at the polls”.

He stressed that there will be no repeat of the “charades”, a reference to previous “routine” elections sessions that have not yielded a victor.

The Lebanese parties are the main factor in the electoral process, he stated.

Any foreign efforts to help elect a president can only be successful with a decision from within Lebanon, he went on to say.

“Everyone must realize this and not surrender to the vacuum,” Berri urged.

Moreover, the speaker said the delay in the election of the president cannot extend to month and years, especially since the country needs, now more than ever, every single effort to help it resolve its crises.

He underscored the need for the caretaker government to convene to address the people’s essential and pressing concerns, remarking that its failure to meet is a constitutional violation.

He made this last statement in reference to the Free Patriotic Movement’s (FPM) objection to the cabinet holding sessions amid the presidential vacuum.

Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut Elias Audeh, meanwhile, said that the current state of affairs in Lebanon can be blamed on “pride and selfishness”, “suspicious associations” and “sectarian interests, gains and divisions”.

“Stubbornness, arrogance, spite and settling scores have only led us to the current state of collapse,” he lamented.

“It is time to return to reason, humility and the constitution that alone can set our lives straight,” he said.

“Every official, leader and citizen should perform their duty in saving this country,” he urged.

“How can parliament, which is entrusted with implementing the constitution, hold back from electing a president? What do the obstructors have to gain from this?” he wondered.

Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan underlined the need to elect a president who seeks national interests.

“Any error in this regard will lead to Lebanon’s demise,” he warned.



Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
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Syria’s Reconciliation Committee Prioritizes Stability after Anger Over Prisoner Releases

Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)
Member of the High Committee for National Reconciliation Hassan Soufan and the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Facebook)

Syria’s High Committee for National Reconciliation has defended recent controversial prisoner releases, saying the decision aims to preserve national stability amid ongoing tensions.

Committee member Hassan Soufan confirmed that several officers recently freed had voluntarily surrendered in 2021 at the Iraqi border and in the Al-Sukhna region, under a formal request for safe conduct.

Speaking at a press conference in Damascus on Tuesday, Soufan addressed public backlash following the releases and acknowledged the deep pain felt by victims’ families.

“We fully understand the anger and grief of the families of martyrs,” he said. “But the current phase requires decisions that can help secure relative stability for the coming period.”

The controversy erupted after the Ministry of Interior announced on Sunday the release of dozens of detainees in Latakia, many of whom were arrested during the “Deterrence of Aggression” operation, which contributed to the fall of the Assad regime.

Among those involved in the mediation effort was Fadi Saqr, a former commander in the regime’s National Defense Forces, who has been accused of war crimes, including involvement in the Tadamon massacre in southern Damascus.

Soufan explained that the released officers had undergone investigation and were found not to have participated in war crimes. “Keeping them imprisoned no longer serves a national interest,” he said. “It has no legal justification.”

He stressed that Syria is in a delicate phase of national reconciliation, in which balancing justice and peace is critical.

“There are two parallel tracks - transitional justice and civil peace - and today, the priority is civil peace, as it lays the groundwork for all other strategic efforts,” he said.

Soufan added that the committee has requested expanded powers from the Syrian president, including the authority to release detainees not proven guilty and to coordinate directly with state institutions.

He insisted that the aim is not to bypass justice, but to prevent further bloodshed. “Vengeance and retribution are not paths to justice,” he said. “They allow real criminals to slip away while deepening divisions.”

While affirming that transitional justice remains essential, Soufan noted that it should focus on top perpetrators of atrocities, not individuals who merely served under the regime. “Justice means accountability for those who planned and carried out major crimes, not blanket punishment.”