Lebanon’s Rahi, Audeh Slam Politicians for Failing to Elect New President

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during Palm Sunday mass. (Markazia)
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during Palm Sunday mass. (Markazia)
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Lebanon’s Rahi, Audeh Slam Politicians for Failing to Elect New President

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during Palm Sunday mass. (Markazia)
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi during Palm Sunday mass. (Markazia)

Lebanon’s Christian religious leaders slammed on Sunday politicians for failing to elect a new president, amid a vacuum that has continued for five months and despite recent attempts to revive efforts to agree on a candidate.

During the Palm Sunday mass, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi called on politicians to “destroy the sin of corruption, self-interest and egoism” and to elect a president.

He said the best politicians are those who are committed to telling the truth and realizing that the power entrusted to them is for service.

The true politician is a servant, and when he does not perform his duty, then he is a bad politician, the patriarch stressed.

Rahi said the politicians, especially deputies, “must know that the guarantee of a just policy is the election of a president who possesses these characteristics who can set straight state institutions.”

He announced that the Patriarchate is preparing for a spiritual retreat for Christian MPs in Harissa on April 5 when “they will pray for Lebanon and its salvation from its political, living, economic and financial crises.”

Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Beirut Elias Audeh said during his Sunday sermon that Lebanon is “full of leaders, politicians, deputies, and rulers who only care about their interests, and work only according to their affiliations.”

“They are not ashamed of what they have brought the country to,” he added.

“Institutions are blocked, civil servants are on strike, billions of liras are wasted and they are begging for help. How can they live without conscience and sleep without worry?” he said.

He stressed that Lebanon needs real leaders.

“We need people who think and have a vision of a cause to defend, not politicians who abuse power and the people,” Audeh added.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended on Oct. 31. MPs have not been able to elect a successor even though 11 parliamentary electoral sessions have been held to agree on a candidate.

According to the Lebanese constitution, the 128-member legislature requires a majority of two-thirds (85) to elect a president in the first round, and then in the second round, a candidate can be elected by a simple majority of 65 lawmakers.

During the 11 parliamentary sessions, Hezbollah, Amal and Free Patriotic Movement lawmakers quit the meeting before the second round of voting, leading to a loss of quorum.

Meanwhile, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammed Raad, called Sunday on all political forces to prioritize the national interest in order to save the country.

He stressed the need to elect a president without waiting for foreign orders.

“We are not aspiring to take power in this country, but we are keen to see an authority capable of meeting the aspirations of the people. We refuse unilateral decisions in managing people's affairs,” Raad said.

The deputy said Hezbollah is open to dialogue.



Türkiye Backing Syria’s Military and Has No Immediate Withdrawal Plans, Defense Minister Says 

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler attends a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on establishing a mine countermeasures naval group in the Black Sea, aimed at clearing mines floating there as a result of the war in Ukraine, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler attends a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on establishing a mine countermeasures naval group in the Black Sea, aimed at clearing mines floating there as a result of the war in Ukraine, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 11, 2024. (Reuters)
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Türkiye Backing Syria’s Military and Has No Immediate Withdrawal Plans, Defense Minister Says 

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler attends a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on establishing a mine countermeasures naval group in the Black Sea, aimed at clearing mines floating there as a result of the war in Ukraine, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 11, 2024. (Reuters)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler attends a signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding on establishing a mine countermeasures naval group in the Black Sea, aimed at clearing mines floating there as a result of the war in Ukraine, in Istanbul, Türkiye, January 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Türkiye is training and advising Syria's armed forces and helping improve its defenses, and has no immediate plans for the withdrawal or relocation of its troops stationed there, Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters.

Türkiye has emerged as a key foreign ally of Syria's new government since opposition groups - some of them backed for years by Ankara - ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December to end his family's five-decade rule.

It has promised to help rebuild neighboring Syria and facilitate the return of millions of Syrian civil war refugees, and played a key role last month getting US and European sanctions on Syria lifted.

The newfound Turkish influence in Damascus has raised Israeli concerns and risked a standoff or worse in Syria between the regional powers.

In written answers to questions from Reuters, Guler said Türkiye and Israel, which carried out its latest airstrikes on southern Syria late on Tuesday, are continuing de-confliction talks to avoid military accidents in the country.

Türkiye’s overall priority in Syria is preserving its territorial integrity and unity, and ridding it of terrorism, he said, adding Ankara was supporting Damascus in these efforts.

"We have started providing military training and consultancy services, while taking steps to increase Syria's defense capacity," Guler said, without elaborating on those steps.

Named to the post by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan two years ago, Guler said it was too early to discuss possible withdrawal or relocation of the more than 20,000 Turkish troops in Syria.

Ankara controlled swathes of northern Syria and established dozens of bases there after several cross-border operations in recent years against Kurdish militants it deems terrorists.

This can "only be re-evaluated when Syria achieves peace and stability, when the threat of terrorism in the region is fully removed, when our border security is fully ensured, and when the honorable return of people who had to flee is done," he said.

NATO member Türkiye has accused Israel of undermining Syrian peace and rebuilding with its military operations there in recent months and, since late 2023, has also fiercely criticized Israel's assault on Gaza.

But the two regional powers have been quietly working to establish a de-confliction mechanism in Syria.

Guler described the talks as "technical level meetings to establish a de-confliction mechanism to prevent unwanted events" or direct conflict, as well as "a communication and coordination structure".

"Our efforts to form this line and make it fully operational continue. Yet it should not be forgotten that the de-confliction mechanism is not a normalization," he told Reuters.