BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said Sunday Lebanon should become a neutral state so that it can play an effective role on the regional and international scenes.
“The Lebanese and the international community should work on declaring Lebanon a neutral country so that it can continue carrying its message [of coexistence] and become an effective element in creating peace in the Middle East, and not a passage or home for unstable elements in the region,” Rai said during his weekly Mass in Bkirki.
“A neutral Lebanon guarantees the protection of coexistence between Christians and Muslim,” he added.
For Lebanon to play an effective role regionally and internationally, Rai said the country has to strengthen its defense strategy and limit arms to legitimate institutions.
The patriarch also asked Lebanon’s leaders to distance themselves from rival alliances in the region and prioritize domestic over foreign interests, urging them to have a more respectful dialogue and decrease political tensions.