After a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai at Bkerke, Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized the need to announce that international contacts are underway regarding the Syrian refugee issue in Lebanon, stressing that “the main solution is to consider most areas in Syria safe to deport the Syrians who came to Lebanon under the title of refugees.”
He condemned once again the murder of Lebanese Forces coordinator for Jbeil, Pascal Sleiman, who was abducted and killed by a so-called car theft last Sunday, pointing out that “lessons must be learned from the lebanese war.”
In a call for national unity and the need for reform, Mikati emphasized the need to “elect a president and form a government.” He added, “No Lebanese can win on the ruins of another Lebanese, and the state is the rescue boat that we must hold on to.”
“We are not interested in power and do not want to monopolize or take anyone’s place, and we will continue our governmental work and try to preserve the pillars of the state,” Mikati stated.
