What they said البطريرك الماروني الكاردينال مار بشارة بطرس الراعي ×

What we witnessed this week regarding electricity and public utilities reveals a clear aspect of the dysfunction.

Neutrality is not a withdrawal from right, nor a distancing from Lebanon's surroundings, but rather protecting the homeland from becoming a permanent arena for others' conflicts, and affirming its role as a space for meeting and dialogue and a message of peace.

Peace remains, above all calculations, an existential national need. Lebanon needs a lasting peace, not to remain hostage to the possibility of a new war whenever the region ignites.

It is necessary to stabilize the Lebanese in their land, strengthen social solidarity, and encourage expatriates to invest in their homeland.

We fear the expansion of military confrontations in the region and their repercussions on Lebanon.

People have waited a long time, and they have the right to see a reform that restores confidence and preserves rights.

The state also needs a long breath to build internal unity, bring positions closer, and restore Lebanese confidence in their institutions. Unity is not imposed by decree, nor built in a single session; it needs dialogue, a shared will, and placing the national interest above private calculations.

Lebanese diplomacy remains before the test of turning foreign moves into tangible results: supporting the state, addressing the future of the south and the post-UNIFIL phase, restricting weapons, pushing negotiating tracks forward, and restoring political and economic support for Lebanon. What is required is clarity of purpose, continuity of work, and insistence on reaching the result.