President Michel Sleiman and Lebanese spiritual leaders sent a message of peace after several days of violence in the country. Leaders of Lebanon’s religious groups met at the Presidential Palace to try to boost national reconciliation after dozens died in sectarian fighting. Fierce clashes in Beirut and other parts of the country in May that killed 65 people raised fears of all-out conflict in Lebanon. Sleiman, who organised the meeting, told delegates that “differences between Lebanese have led them to the brink of suicide” and called for dialogue “before it is too late.” Sleiman said the country’s political and religious leaders must not turn a blind eye to the problem but instead find a starting point to solve the crisis and heal the wounds. Those attending the meeting represented most of Lebanon’s 18 religious communities. The meeting’s final statement condemned the violence which rocked the country and stressed the need to adhere to the Doha accord, which “prohibits recourse to weapons to achieve political objectives and encourages the rival parties to settle their differences within the constitutional institutions of the Lebanese state.”
LEBANESE RELIGIOUS SUMMIT FOR PEACE
President Michel Sleiman and Lebanese spiritual leaders sent a message of peace after several days of violence in the country.