Syriac Maronite Patriarch al-Raï meets with several delegations to discuss ways to save Lebanon from crisis

BETH KERKE, Lebanon — Syriac Maronite Patriarch Mor Béchara Boutros al-Raï received a delegation that included French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne Griot and First Counselor of the Embassy ​​Jean- François Guillaume at the Patriarchate Headquarters in Beth Kerke (Bkerke), Lebanon.

During the visit, Ambassador Griot conveyed a message from French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to the Patriarch in which Le Drian affirmed his great appreciation for the efforts and initiatives undertaken by the Patriarch in order to save Lebanon from collapse. She also conveyed to the Patriarch the outcomes of the meetings Le Drian had with various figures of the Lebanese political class during his last visit to Lebanon.

The Patriarch also received Deputy Head of Lebanese Kataeb Party Salim al-Sayegh. During the meeting, al-Sayegh explained the moves that the party is taking to support the initiative of the Patriarch to save Lebanon from its current ordeal.

Al-Sayegh stated that it is the duty of every honest Lebanese to work towards a mechanism to ensure an exit from this crisis, explaining that there is an international consensus on how to save Lebanon and an important role to be played by the Vatican, France, and the European Union.

Patriarch al-Raï also received former MP Nadim al-Gemayel (Kataeb Party). The two discussed the ongoing efforts to form a government, a process that has dragged on due to disagreements between President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri. Al-Gemayel expressed his absolute support for the national proposals put forward by the Patriarch, which could be the beginning of a political solution.