Franjieh: Bkirki is a place for prayers, not a place for thieves

 Source: NowLebanon, 8-02-2008
Former Minister Sleiman Franjieh renewed his criticism campaign against Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir in a statement highlighting occasions that weakened the role of Lebanese Christians and led to their marginalization.
"Patriarch Sfeir agreed on the Taif Accord in 1989 that removed the authorities of the president, and he also provided a cover for the Syrian assault on Baabda presidential palace on October 13, 1990," Franjieh said.
"You are the allies of the West. If it disagrees with Syria, you act as such, and if it forms an alliance with it, you do the same," Franjieh said, addressing the Patriarchate.
He also accused the Patriarch of providing a cover for the extension of late President Elias Hrawi's mandate in 1995 and of exonerating those responsible for displacing Christians during the Mountain War.
"Sfeir agreed on excluding MP Michel Aoun from the government. This has increased Christian marginalization," Franjieh added.
"How could Christians forget your passive role during the intra-Christian military confrontations?" Franjieh asked Sfeir, referencing the 1990 military confrontations between the Lebanese army and the Lebanese Forces in eastern Beirut.
"Rather than staying in Bkirki, you fled to Doman in North Lebanon," he added.
Franjieh said that Sfeir's ambivalence might lead to the naturalization of Palestinians in Lebanon.
"I call on Sfeir to turn Bkirki back into a place for prayers, and not for some thieves," Franjieh said.