Statement from Ministerial meeting urges cooperation between all components to protect Lebanon's formula

In a statement, the Ministerial Consultative Meeting in Diman announced that all Lebanese are invited "to protect the formula by cementing our collective national identity and working to strengthen unity through diversity, and to refrain from disavowing others."

It added: "These days, we are faced with official and unofficial rhetoric cloaked in the guise of modernity, freedom, and human rights, contradicting the religious and moral values at the core of our psychological, spiritual, and social composition."

"This discourse clearly violates the spirit and text of Articles Nine and Ten of the Lebanese Constitution. The responsibility to confront this rhetoric lies with everyone, without exception, including religious authorities, political, judicial, educational, and media institutions, as well as civil society forces, because we refuse to have our children's present muddled so as not to have their future distorted," it added.

The meeting, attended by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, concluded with the following points:

Firstly, the urgent need to elect a president to lead the rescue and recovery process, as no work can progress in the absence of the head of state;

Secondly, the call for all political forces to adhere to the Taif Agreement and the charter of coexistence and to abandon anything that may undermine Lebanon's unique formula;

Thirdly, the call for all authorities, educational and media institutions, civil society forces, and the Lebanese people with all their affiliations to cling to the national identity and its general customs, inherited ethics, and religious values, particularly the value of the family and its protection, and to confront ideas that violate the principles that unite the Lebanese;

Fourthly, the call for citizens to engage in a perpetual dialogue among themselves so that each citizen seeks to reassure their partner in the homeland about their beliefs, presence, rights, and active national membership;

Fifthly, sincere cooperation between all Lebanese components to formulate a unified stance on the issue of the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and to cooperate with the Syrian state and the international community to resolve this matter in a way that preserves Lebanon's unity and identity.

The Patriarch renewed his appreciation for the efforts of the Prime Minister and all ministers in navigating through this challenging stage while preserving the constitutional framework.