The Recent Bkerki Document and Al Raei blemished National Credibility
Elias Bejjani/February 7/14
There is no doubt that the Bkerki document that was released yesterday is Lebanese and national in its patriotic context.
It addresses the deeply rooted fears and concerns not only of Christians, but of all Lebanese denominations who believe in the Lebanese identity, freedom, equality, justice and democracy.
At the same time the document despite of its great rhetoric context did  not come with any new descriptions for Bkerki's national and historic role or in its ethical, moral and sovereign commitments.
Bkerki that has been granted the glory of Lebanon and shall remain the guardian angel for the Land of the cedars, the holey and blessed Lebanon.
The question: Is  Patriarch, Al Raei and his close Bishops especially, Mazloum, Nassar, Sayah, and  Khairallah enjoy the needed national credibility to entrusted in the implementation of the document!?
The answer of many patriotic Lebanese is a big NO.
Why, because they are totally allied with the Axis of Evil, Both the Syrian and Iranian regimes and with their Lebanese militant ad terrorist proxy, Hezbollah.
In conclusion the document as a text is more than excellent, but sadly those who are in power in Bkerki at the present time are not trustworthy and have no credibility.  

Background
Bkirki’s “extraordinary”National Charter document: Where’s the mechanism
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/Opinion/Editorial/2014/Feb-06/246493-wheres-the-mechanism.ashx#axzz2sYspq0lT
February 06, 2014/The Daily Star /Lebanon’s Maronite bishops have issued a National Charter document that spells out the dangers facing the country and urges politicians to adhere to fundamental principles in order to avoid further paralysis and dysfunction. While the document, unveiled Wednesday by Patriarch Beshara Rai, is being portrayed as “extraordinary,” it would in fact be difficult to find a politician who has disagreed with any of the major points in recent years. Items such as respecting constitutional deadlines, adhering to the Taif Accord and moving ahead with a host of other matters are all part and parcel of most politicians’ daily rhetoric. Two things stand out when assessing Bkirki’s “extraordinary” stance. One is that the country lacks mechanisms of implementation. Policymakers and concerned groups around the world are capable of producing “road maps.” To the south of Lebanon, for example, people have been talking about a political road map for years, but until Israelis and Palestinians show real commitment to such a plan, it remains ink on paper. Second, Lebanon’s Christian political community itself is in need of the kind of commitment to principles that Bkirki has outlined. Wednesday’s distress call, about the need to put aside petty disputes and narrow calculations in favor of the higher national interest, should be addressed, first and foremost, to the parties that meet periodically with the patriarch under the rubric of this or that “gathering” of Christian politicians. Nobody is disagreeing with the bishops, except when it comes to how to kick-start the process and ensure that it remains durable.

Patriarch Raei calls for coexistence, president
February 06, 2014/By Dana Khraiche/The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai laid out a road map Wednesday to guide Lebanon through a coming “existential crisis,” stressing the need for a timely election of a new president and Muslim-Christian partnership in running the country. Rai said that electing a new president on time was a necessary condition for a strong state and warned that power-hungry politicians implicating Lebanon in regional conflicts were leading the country into the abyss. Reading a National Charter drafted by the Maronite Church as a road map for what he described as a critical stage in the history of Lebanon and the region, the Maronite leader also stressed the need for adherence to the three principles upon which the country was established: coexistence, the National Pact and Muslim-Christian partnership. “Electing a new president as a new head of state within the constitutional deadline is not debatable and it is a prerequisite condition because its absence means an absence of the state and its future,” Rai said during a televised news conference. Rai also outlined what he said were growing concerns of the Lebanese, saying the Maronite Church could not remain quiet as the country neared an “existential crisis.”“The Lebanese should recognize that a national plan cannot be applied unless it produces a just, productive and capable state or else it will threaten the Lebanese entity,” Rai said. “Those adopting self-security measures justify them by [highlighting] the inability of the state as well the people’s right to self-defense. This leads to a scenario wherein the strongest party imposes its will on others and the other parties seek empowerment through foreign sides,” he said. Rai added that such a scenario meant Lebanon was being dragged into the “war of axes” and experiencing an unprecedented, “dangerous political paralysis.” “This is our biggest concern, and so we warn the Lebanese, particularly officials, against continuing to exclude others, remaining obstinate and power hungry, because that will only drive Lebanon to the abyss.” Rai warned some of the consequences of disrupting state institutions were the inability to draft a new electoral law and form a government as well as “fears of a vacuum in the presidential post.”
The patriarch also those criticized involving Lebanon in the matters of neighboring states without taking into consideration the repercussions for the country, reiterating his call for the adoption of “positive neutrality” toward turmoil in the region. “For a neutral Lebanon to represent its [peaceful] message it should be strong enough to defend itself ... and it should be at a distance from regional conflicts as stipulated in the Baabda Declaration,” he added. The country, Rai said, needed foundations on which a better future for the Lebanese could be built, saying officials should recognize the country’s national interest and resume National Dialogue sessions in order to resolve the current crisis. The patriarch also called for an end to the crisis in Syria through a national dialogue in which Syrians could decide their own fate. “A speedy resolution to the crisis and the return of refugees to their homes are vital Lebanese interests.”

Rai warns Lebanon heading into the abyss
 February 05, 2014/The Daily Star
 BEIRUT: Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said Wednesday electing a new president on time was a necessary condition for a strong state and warned that power-hungry politicians implicating Lebanon in regional conflicts were leading the country into the abyss.
 Reading a National Charter drafted by the Maronite Church as a roadmap for what he described as a critical stage in the history of Lebanon and the region, the Maronite leader also stressed the need for adherence to the three principles upon which the country was established: coexistence, the National Pact and Muslim-Christian partnership.
 “Electing a new president as a new head of state within the constitutional deadlines is not debatable and it is a primary condition because its absence means an absence of the state and its future,” Rai said during a televised news conference.
 Rai also outlined what he said were the growing concerns of Lebanese, saying the Maronite Church could not remain quiet as the country neared an “existential crisis.”
 “The Lebanese should recognize that a national plan cannot be applied unless it produces a just, productive and capable state or else it will threaten the Lebanese entity,” Rai said.
 “Those adopting self-security measures justify them by [highlighting] the inability of the state as well the people’s right to self-defense. This leads to a scenario wherein the strongest party imposes its choices on others and the other parties seek empowerment through foreign sides,” he said.
 Rai added that such a scenario meant Lebanon was being dragged into the “war of axes” and experiencing an unprecedented, “dangerous political paralysis.”
 “This is our biggest concern and so we warn the Lebanese, particularly officials, against continuing to exclude others, remaining obstinate and power hungry because that will only drive Lebanon to the abyss,” he said.
 Rai said people were also concerned about “political practices [aimed at] quotas and authority rather than justice ... leading to a struggle for power at the expense of the National Pact, sabotaging the Constitution and paralyzing the state in the interest of foreign axes.”
 “One of the consequences of disrupting institutions is that rather than [seeing] the democratic practice of rotation of power, constitutional deadlines turn into crises,” he said.
 Rai listed some of the consequences of disrupting institutions as being the inability to draft a new electoral law, form a government and “fears of a vacuum in the presidential post.”
 The patriarch also criticized involving Lebanon in the matters of neighboring states without taking into consideration the repercussions on the country, reiterating his call for the adoption of “positive neutrality” toward the turmoil in the region.
 “We identify with what some have said that complete neutrality ... isolates Lebanon from issues around it and prevents it from being a part of regional dialogues aimed at coming up with solutions ... Neutrality is the most successful means to preserve diversity in [made up] countries,” he said.
 “For a neutral Lebanon to represent its [peaceful] message it should be strong enough to defend itself ... and it should be at a distance from regional conflicts as stipulated in the Baabda Declaration,” he added.
 The patriarch said the declaration was an important mechanism to prevent Lebanon from being used as a conduit for activities that could involve it in regional conflicts.
 The 2012 agreement among the country’s political rivals could also be used to develop a needed national defense strategy, he said.
 Lebanon, Rai also said, needed foundations on which a better future for the Lebanese could be built, saying officials should recognize the country’s highest national interest and resume National Dialogue sessions in order to resolve the current crisis.
 The preacher also called for an end to the crisis in Syria through a national dialogue in which Syrians could decide their own fate.
 “A speedy resolution to the crisis [in Syria] and the return of refugees to their land are vital Lebanese interests,” he said.
 Rai concluded the charter with several priorities he said officials needed to take into account, namely adherence to the Constitution and ensuring the state enjoyed the exclusive right to the use of force.
 “We must guard Constitutional principles by applying true equality between Christians and Muslims in governance and administration and equality in rights and duties,” he said.
 “We need a serious commitment to building a strong state by preserving sovereignty, maintaining for the state the exclusive [right to] use of force, strengthening the Army and security forces, protecting an independent judiciary, imposing the rule of law and ending political meddling in the public sector,” the Maronite leader said.
 Among the other priorities Rai listed were the drafting of a new elections law, adoption of administrative decentralization and adherence to the Taef Accord, Lebanon’s amended Constitution.
 “We should also look into clarifying and improving the Taef Accord in order to fill the gaps in the president’s prerogatives so that the president can ensure the stability of the system and [that there be no] paralysis as demanded by the Constitution,” he said.
 
 Al-Rahi Unveils Bkirki Treaty, Urges Need to Hold Presidential Elections, Achieve National Goals
 NaharnetظMaronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi unveiled on Wednesday the “Bkirki Treaty” that focuses on preserving Lebanon's coexistence and national pact and fabric.
 He stressed the importance of staging the presidential elections, while urging officials to place Lebanon's interests at heart of their actions. He announced the treaty, which is based on the three principles of coexistence, the national pact, and national fabric, on the occasion of Mar Maroun that falls on February 9. “Coexistence is not a temporary matter, but it is at the heart of the Lebanese experience, despite some sides' skepticism of this principle,” he remarked. “Coexistence lies in belonging to a civilized project that brings together Muslims and Christians,” he declared. This civilized project is based on freedom, fair participation in rule, and maintaining Lebanon's diversity, explained the patriarch. “Lebanon is constantly evolving through the experience of coexistence,” he remarked. Addressing the national pact, al-Rahi said that this issue is “not ephemeral or a series of temporary agreements that one can back down on when his interests are threatened.” On Lebanon's fabric, he noted that historic experiences have proven that the country cannot rise without its Muslim and Christians.
 “This fabric was never based on who has greater numbers,” he said while reading the Bkirki treaty that was declared after the Maronite bishops' monthly council. “The Lebanese should be proud of the political and constitutional achievements they made while building their country decades ago. This same spirit must be regained at this critical time,” stressed al-Rahi. The church cannot stand idly by as dangers are threatening Lebanon, he stated.
 “The Lebanese can save themselves through completing the construction of the state and they should realize that any national project that does not serve national interests will fail,” he warned.
 He cautioned officials that their greed for power will only lead Lebanon towards the abyss. Furthermore, he warned that the obstruction of state and constitutional institutions will result in the obstruction of the parliamentary and presidential elections. “The elections should serve as democratic opportunities to practice the rotation of power,” he explained. “Lebanon must stage the elections in order to demonstrate that it truly is a democratic country that it boasts to be and in order to prove that it respects the rotation of power,” demanded the Maronite patriarch. “Electing a new president is a main condition for the rise of the state and there can be no move forward without it,” he added. The Bkirki treaty also emphasized the need to maintain Lebanon's “positive neutrality, which is based on its defensive abilities that are bolstered by the army and various security forces.”Lebanon must be strong enough to defend itself and serve its surroundings in order to achieve its message of diversity, noted al-Rahi. To this end, Lebanon should remain neutral from regional and international conflicts as stipulated by the Baabda Declaration.
 “Helping Lebanon end its crisis lies solely in returning to higher national interests that are based on the national pact and constitution,” stressed al-Rahi. This can be achieved through internal dialogue that can help assert real peace, he explained. The new president is tasked with resuming the national dialogue among the Lebanese foes, the patriarch added. He also stressed the need hold the presidential elections on time and form a new government.
 

Maronite declaration to highlight Christians’ role
February 05, 2014/By Antoine Ghattas Saab/The Daily Star
The formation of a much-needed all-embracing Cabinet is still obstructed by difficult consultations but is not impossible, well-informed sources told The Daily Star.
“Consultations aimed at forming a new Cabinet are tough but not impossible, although the decisions to be made [by the various political parties] are not easy. And it is impossible to overlook the Christian parties’ demands and form a Cabinet in which the two most prominent Christian parties, the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces, are not represented,” the sources said.
This has been made crystal clear by the Maronite patriarchate’s declaration to be launched Wednesday, a document that would include a historic playback of the body’s role in building the Lebanese state and its steadfast commitment to the principles of partnership, coexistence, the National Pact and protecting the role of Christians in the country.
The declaration will demand the implementation of decentralization as a preliminary step for balanced development in Lebanon and will reiterate the importance of the country’s disassociation policy.
The Daily Star received information that Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai delegated a committee of civilian and religious specialists to prepare the declaration. It will be similar in its stance to the various famous Bkirki Appeals, the most important among which is the 2005 version, which called for the departure of the Syrian army from Lebanon. The declaration will also propose solutions and suggestions to reassure the Christians.
The sources noted that Rai had made the necessary adjustments to the document and announced his full agreement on every article in it.
The patriarchate’s declaration will focus on three issues, according to the sources.
First, it will remind people of the upcoming first centenary of the 1920 declaration of Grand Lebanon, which will occur in six years, and the importance of this milestone and its patriotic significance. It will point out the basic values on which an independent Lebanon has been built on, such as coexistence among the different components of the national family. The paper will raise a crucial question: What kind of future do the Lebanese want for their country? Second, it will touch on the current political practice and the necessity of going back to the National Pact, which it says should be the base of inter-Lebanese relations. The declaration will stress that moving forward is dependent on resorting to this pact and every article of the Lebanese Constitution.
Third, it will stress that any attempt to amend the Constitution or the Taif agreement should be done with the goal of developing the pact and the political system in a way that allows all the Lebanese parties and groups to participate in a fair manner in the political process.
Amending the Taif Accord should be restricted to clarifying any confusion or ambiguity in its articles in order to correct the Lebanese political process, the declaration will say, as the Constitution – which was amended under the Taif pact – is being interpreted in different ways by various political parties.