Maronite Patriarch Beshara Boutros Rai declared Sunday that he backs the position of President Michel Aoun, calling for the safe and voluntary return of the Syrian refugees to their homes.
In his holy sermon delivered during mass held in Bkerke on the tenth annual commemoration of the Lebanese army martyrs who fell in the battle of Nahr al-Bared, Rai he calls for the return of refugees, “not only because Lebanon can no longer bear the burden of their large numbers that exceed 1.5 million and threat Lebanon’s economic, security and political stability, but alsoso that the Syrian people can preserve their rich culture and civilization.”
“We say the same thing about the Iraqi refugees,” he stated.
He added that he also joins the president in calling for the return of the Palestinian refugees, whose number exceeds half a million, urging the International Community to pass the two-state solution and force Israel to put an end to the new settlements established on the Palestinians’ lands.