Exclusive, “Akhbar al-Yawm” agency

Everyone recognizes the role of the Patriarchate at the national level

In a press conference held on July 24, the Head of the “Movement for Change” Party, Elie Mahfoud, announced an initiative calling for holding a round table in Bkerki under the auspices of the Maronite Patriarch, Mar Beshara Boutros Al-Rahi, with all the outstanding addresses and files on its agenda.

What is the fate of this initiative and what are the next steps?

Mahfoud said, via the "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency, that "we launched the initiative to put it at the disposal of Patriarch al-Rahi, as he is directly concerned with this issue".

He added: "Since the beginning of the crisis, the “Movement for Change" rejects any Christian - Christian or Islamic-Islamic table, as experience has taught us that the consensus is national and should not have a sectarian nature, from here we insisted that whoever sponsors this table is the neutral authority in the country, and today only Bkerki has these characteristics and qualities. Therefore, we said that the patriarch should take the initiative to invite both the speaker of the House of Representatives Nabih Berri and those who wish to be with him, and all the leaders of Christian and non-Christian parties and other parties from the opposition, represented by 31 deputies, as well as the spiritual leaders of the sects, to hold the round table".

Mahfoud revealed that "during the next few hours we will visit Dimane to meet with the Maronite patriarch in order to open a discussion and dialogue on this proposal, and we hope that this initiative will receive listening ears and practical translation, because it is inevitable for all Lebanese to sit down with each other".

Mahfoud asserted that "no one can take the role of Bkerki, recalling a saying to the "philosopher of the Lebanese issue" Charles Malik, that there is no fear for Lebanon, even if it is destroyed, Bkerki is able to rebuild it".

He concluded, stressing that "Bkerki is able to bring together all the parties, even if some do not support its positions, but everyone recognizes its role at the national level".