The number of Christians in the Middle East is swiftly declining, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir warned Nicholas Sarkozy during a meeting with the French president at the Elysee Palace.Pope Benedict XVI had warned last week that the Christian community in the Middle East would soon disappear if no solution to regional conflicts was found, while citing rising political Islam and its extreme currents as a threat to Christians and Muslims alike.
For his part, Sarkozy said Christian presence in the Middle East was a guarantee against the rise extremism.
Sfeir, who voiced hope for a halt in mass Christian migration, also discussed with the French president the latest developments in bilateral ties between Syria and Lebanon.
On Tuesday, President Michel Sleiman discussed with his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad in Damascus the demarcation of Lebanese-Syrian borders and the promotion of bilateral ties underlining the need to “overcome everything that is an obstacle to that.”
The patriarch said France was following up on the Syrian-Lebanese ties as he highlighted French support to Lebanon.
Last month, Syria and Lebanon kicked off a series of meetings between joint delegations to reassess bilateral agreements between both countries and the role of the Higher Syrian-Lebanese Council.
Sleiman and Prime Minister Saad Hariri have followed up on the joint committee meetings that led to the ratification of 15 memorandums and two executive programs on Monday.
Syria and Lebanon only established formal diplomatic relations in October 2008 but maintained the Higher Syrian Lebanese Council.
Syrian troops entered Lebanon during its 1975-90 Civil War and remained for the next 15 years, with Damascus exercising effective political control on the country.
The troops were withdrawn in 2005 after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime minister Rafik Hariri. Syria was widely blamed for the killing, but has denied any involvement.
“France always stood on the side of Lebanon and supported its projects,” Sfeir added.
Sfeir’s visit to France comes ahead of a national dialogue session scheduled for Thursday to discuss a national defense strategy, a disputed issue between March 14 parties and Hizbullah’s led opposition.
Sfeir, along with March 14 parties, demand that the possession of weapons as well as war and peace decisions be restricted to the Lebanese state, while Hizbullah and its allies insist that the Resistance is needed alongside the Lebanese Army to defend the country against Israeli threats.
Asked whether he received assurances from the French President against a potential Israeli aggression Sfeir said the issue “is not in Sarkozy’s hands” despite France’s support to Lebanon. –
SIC: DSL