Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai, concerned about the potential non-extension of the army commander’s term, received Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari in Bkerke on Wednesday.
Bkerke’s media spokesman, Walid Ghayyad, revealed that the Patriarch stressed “the importance of extending General Joseph Aoun’s term in the national interest.”
The Maronite patriarch senses “a potential agreement to block the extension of the army commander’s term” but is awaiting “clarity on the intentions,” he noted.
Furthermore, al-Rai warned against interpreting the Army leadership issue “as a conflict between Maronites” and urged against framing the problem in such a way, emphasizing that “the political game is no longer honorable.”
In turn, KSA’s ambassador conveyed the Kingdom’s support for al-Rai’s stance. According to Ghayyad, Bukhari expressed the Kingdom’s and the Quintet Committee’s “concern about the leadership vacuum in the Army, hoping that MPs would fulfill their duties to prevent this vacuum.”
