Lebanon?s Daily Star reported that the Council of Maronite Bishops released a strong anti-Syrian statement last Wednesday, warning that Lebanon would irreversibly lose its independence if Syrian troops remain in the country. The statement claimed, ?Some cabinet ministers are imposed on the Prime Minister [Emile Lahoud], who in turn is forced to cooperate with them against his will. The decision is elsewhere, outside Lebanon.? The Maronite clergymen claimed that even under the rule of the Ottoman Empire Lebanon had a greater measure of autonomy than it does today.
?Lebanon is vanishing little by little?? the statement said, ?And those who claim they are protecting by keeping it under [Syrian] tutelage will be the cause of its disappearance,? referring primarily to Prime Minister Lahoud, backed by the Syrian regime. The Maronites further questioned the rationale for the Hizbullah and Amal in the south of the country to maintain armed militias in a sovereign Lebanon.
The sharp Maronite clergy statements were made on the backdrop of criticism by former military commander, the exiled Michel Aoun, that Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir had moderated his anti-Syrian stand in recent months. The statements, combined with the Syrian-Lebanese persecution of Christian opposition, will, according to the Star, unite all of the Christian opposition, including Aoun's followers, under the Maronite clerical umbrella.
Two other Christian individuals are encouraged by Syria. One is former cabinet member Elie Hobeika, infamous for his role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982, who is rumored to be in line to take over a reconstituted Lebanese Forces political party, more in line with existing state policies. The other Christian leader that may challenge the Maronite clergy is one of the Phalange Party?s deputy presidents, Karim Pakradouni, a man most Christians see as ?a yes-man for the authorities,? according to the Daily Star.
?Lebanon is vanishing little by little?? the statement said, ?And those who claim they are protecting by keeping it under [Syrian] tutelage will be the cause of its disappearance,? referring primarily to Prime Minister Lahoud, backed by the Syrian regime. The Maronites further questioned the rationale for the Hizbullah and Amal in the south of the country to maintain armed militias in a sovereign Lebanon.
The sharp Maronite clergy statements were made on the backdrop of criticism by former military commander, the exiled Michel Aoun, that Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir had moderated his anti-Syrian stand in recent months. The statements, combined with the Syrian-Lebanese persecution of Christian opposition, will, according to the Star, unite all of the Christian opposition, including Aoun's followers, under the Maronite clerical umbrella.
Two other Christian individuals are encouraged by Syria. One is former cabinet member Elie Hobeika, infamous for his role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre in 1982, who is rumored to be in line to take over a reconstituted Lebanese Forces political party, more in line with existing state policies. The other Christian leader that may challenge the Maronite clergy is one of the Phalange Party?s deputy presidents, Karim Pakradouni, a man most Christians see as ?a yes-man for the authorities,? according to the Daily Star.