NNA - The Cave of St. John's Monastery was honored on Wednesday in a ceremony which had been organized by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Basilian Choueirite Order - Khenchara.



Acting Minister of Agriculture, outgoing Water and Energy Minister Gebran Bassil, outgoing Ministers of Information Walid Daouk, Tourism Fadi Abboud, and State Nicolas Fattoush, as well as former Ministers of Agriculture Elias Skaff and Adel Cortas, former MPs Salim Aoun and Emile Lahoud, FAO Ambassador Ali Momen, President of the Basilian Choueirite Order Archimandrite Elie Maalouf, and a big number of figures attended the ceremony.



"This meeting symbolizes our faith in Lebanon. Every time we drink wine together, we don't only confirm our belief in the church, but rather more our belief in our nation and our commitment to have a church that's productive," said Bassil who delivered a word marking this occasion.



"Drinking wine in Lebanon is in itself an act of faith which demonstrates the exiting diversity in our country," he added.



He also stressed the importance of Christian unity in Lebanon, saying that no national unity would be possible at the absence of such state, especially that "diversity is the raison d'être" of the country.



For his part, the Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Louis Lahoud, announced that a conference on Lebanese wine would be taking place within the first three days of October, at the campus of Kaslik, Batroun and the Bekaa University of the Holy Spirit (USEK), under the patronage of President Michel Sleiman and with the blessing of Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Rahi.


=================R.H.