SHAFAQNA- Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai called on Lebanon’s politicians on Friday to form a government to end political stalemate and help resolve a severe economic crisis. If the reasons for not forming government are internal than “the problem is great” because it shows lack of responsibility, but if they are external “it is greater” because it exposes loyalties beyond Lebanon, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric said at Christmas Mass.
Fractious politicians have been unable to agree on a new administration since the last one quit in the aftermath of the Aug. 4 Beirut port explosion. Veteran Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri was named premier for a fourth time in October promising to form a cabinet of specialists to enact reforms necessary to unlock foreign aid, but political wrangling has delayed the process, Reuters reported.