Patriarch Lahham Rejects Foreign Interference in Syria
BEIRUT,(ST)_Patriarch Gregorios III Laham, of Antioch and All the East for the Greek-Orthodox Church stressed rejection to outside interference in any Arab country , noting “My message is that we should not say we are against foreign intervention in Syria but external interference in any Arab country is prohibited and we must be masters of ourselves . “
In statements to the Lebanese al-Jomhoria daily on Monday , al-Lahham refused to say that the Church is neutral towards what is happening in Syria: ” We want all the best for Syria, but not through violence, murder and terror” .
” Syria is also Proper Syria, which includes Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Iraq so the crisis entitled the region “, he said considering that the so-called revolutions are not carried out by weapons.
On the flow of weapons to armed terrorist groups he said: “arms come from Croatia and elsewhere. It is a shame that even Europe sent arms to us.”
He criticized the position of the international community concerning Syria : ” They only care for their interests and how they can promote their weapons. They do not care for us being Muslims or Christians.”
As for the repercussions of the crisis in Syria on Lebanon , Lahham said : Like it or not will we will be influenced by its repercussions,” stressing that the problem of Syria today is the problem of a divided and of different alignments Arab world, calling on the Lebanese “to shoulder their responsibility and change their performance.”
“The issue of Palestine is the major issue. Democracy and the hope in a true Arab Spring will vanish, as long as this cancer represented occupation continues to exist.”
T. Fateh