NNA - A panel of Christian political and spiritual figures met Monday in Beit Anya to discuss what they termed as "strategic challenges" rattled the unrest-swept Arab region.



Conferees saw it was necessary to meet amid two "decisive givens," noting a changing and boiling region and an exacerbating political crisis.


"This is the time to think radically about major salvation of citizens," they said in a statement.



"Christians in Lebanon and the region are no foreign communities in their nations. As much as they are responsible of preserving their role towards others, Muslims, in turn, are also as responsible in that respect," they added.



"Today we met to announce that the interests of some Islamists in our region intertwining with those of some in the West cannot be through burning Egypt's churches, displacing Iraq's Christians, kidnapping Syria's bishops and slaughtering the faithful, or emptying Palestine from its very divine significance. The utmost interest shall be in protecting Lebanon's Christians," they maintained.



"We meet to confirm that the success of the Arab Spring cannot be had it not been for the establishment of a modern secure civil democratic state. The democracy of the region cannot be built upon the ashes of ours. The stability of the Middle East cannot be by destabilizing our country," they added.



"We meet to renew our holding onto all consensual constants as stated in the National Accord Pact," they stressed.



"We met to say that we shall not accept the downfall of rights. Instead, we will fight to preserve them," they concluded.


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