Sfeir Warns Against ‘Arms Race’
| As terror spread throughout Lebanon amidst the nonstop discovery of unexploded bombs, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir warned the various Lebanese sides against “arms race.” Labeling it a “serious” issue, Sfeir disclosed: “All parties and groups in the Lebanese arena are arms racing.” “It looks as if we went more than twenty years back and learned nothing from all the ordeals and tragedies that we went through,” Sfeir said in his weekly sermon at Bkirki on Sunday. “It looks like we can do without the Lebanese army which is the safety valve for all the Lebanese,” the patriarch said. Sfeir reiterated his criticism over the round-the-clock Opposition protest in downtown Beirut which is spearheaded by Hizbullah. The Opposition has been camping outside Grand Serail in the city center since Dec. 1 in a bid to bring down Prime Minister Fouad Saniora’s government. The daily An Nahar on Monday said the patriarch’s remarks raised concern amongst the political circles who believe Sfeir would not have issued such a warning had he not received data from “trustworthy” sources. |
| Beirut, 26 Feb 07 |
