By Xinhua
Beirut : Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir has expressed concerns that Lebanon might be slipping into a “war starts with words,” The Daily Star reported on Monday.
“It has been said that a war starts with words,” Sfeir was quoted as saying during his Sunday sermon in Bkirki, adding that “some are drowning us with statements that could lead to harsh circumstances.”
Lebanon is currently facing the most serious deadlock since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war. For the first time in its history, the presidential seat has been void for more than 50 days since Nov. 24 when former President Emile Lahoud stepped down and the sharply divided Lebanese parliament has delayed the elections for 12 times without a consensus.
Sfeir has routinely warned against prolonging the crisis, urging politicians to reach a resolution to save the country, but this was the first time that he suggested the current bickering could be the beginning of a civil war.
His statement came a day after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Lebanon would be “lost” and the Arabs would “wash their hands” of the whole country if the Arab initiative was not implemented.
The three-point initiative, endorsed in Cairo on Jan. 6 by Arabforeign ministers, aimed at immediately electing Lebanese Army Commander General Michel Suleiman as the president and proceeding to forming a government of national unity and drafting a new electoral law.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, who paid a four-day visit to Lebanon last week, had been seeking the approval of the feuding Lebanese parties for the initiative. But his efforts have not resulted in a breakthrough among the rival pro and anti-government blocs.