Aoun: Sfeir Represents the Church, Not the Public
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Monday said Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir “does not represent the public opinion, but rather the Church.” The Patriarch, Aoun said, “is free to express his opinion regarding the political situation … but he does not decide our constitutional powers on behalf of us.” Aoun, addressing a delegation from Byblos (Jbeil) province at his residence in Rabieh, accused ex-President Amin Gemayel and Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea of “blocking the Bkirki meeting” that had been aimed at achieving consensus among Christian leaders on a presidential candidate. He asked Sfeir to “clarify what is being said” about Bkirki’s support for Premier Fouad Saniora’s government. Aoun charged that the state of war “persists and we live it.” He accused the majority of seeking a “president who keeps the war and we tell them that we would not accept such a president. We want a president to stop any war that is being planned.” He urged Arab foreign ministers who would tackle the Lebanese crisis to “avoid taking erroneous decisions, they have to recognize representation facts.” “Striking Lebanon is tantamount to striking the region. Lebanon’s interest shouldn’t be tampered with,” he warned. “Our political resistance and the military resistance safeguarded the country,” Aoun stressed.
