Maronite Church on need for Lahoud's resignation

The Maronite patriarchs council in Lebanon may have hinted that it is joining the ranks of those calling on President Emil Lahoud to resign.

A statement issued in conclusion of the monthly meeting of the complex which was chaired by patriarch Nasrullah Sfeir said that the "general situation in Lebanon is not comfortable."

The statement said that in this case "the President of the republic will be the judge to assess if his presence or resignation is for the good or bad of the country, and then he has to shoulder his responsibility before God and history."

The statement indicated that the Lebanese are split into two groups. One group wants to remove the president by any means and another wants to keep him in his post by every means, and this resulted in freezing the official establishments "and resulted in great damage in all the country's institutions and reflected on the interests of citizens."

This came after the anti-Syria coalition installed a provisional tent in the heart of a Christian outskirt in Beirut in order to continue its campaign to collect the signatures from one million Lebanese for a petition demanding removal of the Lebanese President Lahoud which they say is one of Syria's supporters.

This petition is considered one of the latest efforts made by anti-Syria Lebanese forces.

Worthy mentioning that Lahoud no longer enjoys the authorities that used to be available for the post of the President, after the adoption of reforms after the end of the civil war, but the post of the Lebanese President still enjoys vast military and political privileges.