Defense Minister and Maronite Patriarch clash over Army Leadership

Nidaa Al-Watan learned that Defense Minister Maurice Slim requested a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi on Friday.

This article was initially published in and translated from Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan.

Slim's speech after the meeting was prepared for him by a former minister and a prominent advisor.

During the meeting, the Patriarch emphasized extending the term of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun, not emptying the military institution, and aligning actions with national interest.

However, Slim insisted on his stance, refusing to extend General Aoun's term and appoint a new commander, even in the absence of the President of the Republic, which aroused the dissatisfaction of the Patriarch, who rejected all the appointment proposals conveyed by Slim.

Bkerke sources expressed their frustration at the intransigence shown by the Minister of Defense and those behind him regarding the issue of the army, especially since there is a group that places personal and utilitarian calculations above Christian and national concerns.

Additionally, the sources indicated that Al-Rahi is making plans to move “and does not rely on the awakening of the conscience of the Minister of Defense, but rather there are several plans and paths that the extension may take.”

Furthermore, he is discussing all paths with legal experts and politicians, whether through the Council of Ministers or the House of Representatives, and he will not allow a vacuum in the army's leadership.