Lebanon's Maronite Bishops noted Wednesday that "time has come" for Beirut's city center and its environs to be "liberated", stressing that renewed prosperity of the sector would be an "appreciated national move."The statement was released after the Bishop's monthly meeting presided over by Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir. The statement came two days before a scheduled address by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Jerusalem Day.
News reports predicted that Nasrallah, in his Friday address, would call off the 10-month sit-in staged by the Hezbollah -led opposition in downtown Beirut's Riyadh Solh Square. The sit-in, now referred to as Tent City, was launched on Dec. 1 with the declared objective of toppling Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government, which remains in office.
The bishops, in their monthly statement, criticized the ongoing rhetoric regarding who should be president, terming it "unjustified."
"More important is holding presidential elections within the constitutional schedule and in line with the constitution to avoid political vacuum and the serious chaos that would follow," the statement noted.
The statement also said "questions have been raised" about the chain of fires that spread across Lebanon's once green woods. "Who can provide answers to these questions? Â…Would any one compensate for the losses?" the statement asked.