(WASHINGTON, DC) — Maronite Patriarch Beshara Rai said he discussed issues of the presidency and supporting the Lebanese army with President Barack Obama on Thursday, as the American leader stressed the importance of deterring the terrorist threat against Lebanon.
In remarks to LBCI television after he met Obama along with the patriarchs of the Orient, Rai said the U.S. president promised him to “protect Lebanon from the repercussions of everything that is happening in the region,” revealing that talks tackled the stalled presidential vote and military support for the Lebanese army.
The patriarch said he sensed that Obama has Lebanon among his concerns and that he realizes how much the ruthless Islamic State group is a threat to the region.
Meanwhile, Lebanon’s National News Agency said the meeting with Obama lasted 35 minutes.
It said the American leader underlined to the delegation the importance of supporting the army so that it can “rein in terrorism and prevent it from infiltrating Lebanon.”
Obama also called on the Lebanese to reach an agreement over a new president, according to Lebanese National News Agency.
Earlier on Thursday, the patriarchs of the Orient discussed with U.S. congressmen the condition of Middle East Christians and their displacement at the hands of terrorist organizations.
“The persecution of Christians is a reality,” Rai said during the meeting.
He pointed out that “the painful situation is mired by the silence of the world.”
Rai, who is currently in the U.S. capital Washington to attend a three-day conference organized by the In Defense of Christians organization, called on the international community to facilitate the return of those who were displaced to their hometowns.
On Wednesday, Rai called on the U.S. to take a more prominent stance and further steps to safeguard Christians, who are being “assaulted” and “displaced” by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and other terrorist organizations.
Rai stressed that the “orient is the land of Christians, who are being threatened with extinction.”
“No one has the right to leave humans suffer as if we’re back to the stone age,” the Patriarch said.
“Can no one stop this crawling monster that is intimidating people?” Rai wondered.
He pointed out that the “Arab and Muslim communities and the international community should understand that Christians are not minorities.”
“The world is responsible for preventing terrorist organizations and returning those who were displaced to their regions and protecting them,” Rai said.
The conference aims at discussing the situation in the Middle East and the conditions of Christians. It gathered Orthodox Christians, evangelicals, Roman Catholics and others.
Andrew Doran, executive director of In Defense of Christians, said: “If Christian voices are able to ring out as one from Egypt to Syria to Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan, then we really do believe it will be possible for Middle Eastern Christians to survive.”