Maronite Patriarch Mar Beshara Boutros Rahi said, following his meeting with President Aoun at Baabda palace on Tuesday, that "we are still waiting for the outcome of the consultations undertaken by the President."

"With his wisdom, President Aoun has managed to contain the crisis and the country has witnessed joy and unity," Rahi said.

"We hope that the outcome of the consultations will be positive," he added.

"We are ready to call for a Christian-Islamic summit, but we are waiting for the consultations' outcome," he said.

Asked about whether he is still convinced of Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation, Rahi said, "All this is from the past. The President of the republic held consultations and heard the viewpoints of all sides. There is no need to go backwards."

In response to a question about his position from dissociating Lebanon from regional conflicts, the Patriarch maintained that this policy was the demand of everybody and that Lebanon's value lied within its relations with the other states.

He also said that the Saudis did consider Lebanon "important" and that "it must remain open to everybody and maintain friendship with all countries

Source: NNA