Patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Church lashes out at Hizbullah

Patriarch of Lebanons M

By JPOST.COM STAFF
"Weapons and democracy cannot coexist," said Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, patriarch of Lebanon's Maronite Church, in an interview to Lebanon's al-Massira magazine to be published on Saturday. During the interview, conducted on Thursday, Sfeir lashed out at Hizbullah, maintaining that the Shi'ite organization threatened Lebanon's security and stability. "Someone on the inside is leaning on exterior force to attain parliamentary and ministerial gains," the patriarch was quoted as saying, suggesting that Hizbullah was undermining Lebanon's efforts to establish a national unity government. By carrying out the wishes of foreign parties, using illegal arms and terrorizing the state and its people, he said, Hizbullah was effectively jeopardizing Lebanon's already-shaky sovereignty under the guise of legitimate political activity. The patriarch asserted that the March 14 bloc of Lebanon's parliament could not sit together with the March 8 opposition, saying that the national unity many Lebanese factions were attempting to achieve was not a likely prospect. Political and social co-existence is not possible in a situation where one party is armed and the rest are not, he explained, adding that Lebanon's military must be the only armed force in the country. Sfeir expressed concern that Hizbullah's actions would push the country toward another civil war, adding that the progressive, Western-backed March 14 coalition, having won the June parliamentary elections, must be allowed to take its place at the head of the Beirut cabinet.