 In an interview with As-Safir, Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir said he supported the ousting of President Emile Lahoud peacefully and through legitimate means.
| Finally made the jump, did he? |
"If the president is unable to run things it means that his position is almost vacant," he said. "When we see that international forces do not recognize him ... and people in general do not count on him to run the country's affairs, the outcome becomes clear."
But Sfeir reiterated that the ousting of Lahoud should be achieved in line with constitutional means and not through popular demonstrations. "The president's dignity should be preserved as an individual and as the representative of the presidential institution," he said. Sfeir said "the Lebanese people are divided between those who want Lahoud to resign and other who don't."
| Not evenly divided, mind you... |
He warned that if demonstrations were held, "there might be confrontations which would lead to a massacre."
| I'll call Hezbollah the bad guys on that one, before the fact. |
Expressing support for the parliamentary majority's proposed plan to oust Lahoud, Sfeir said: "If it were proven that the legislators were truly forced to extend Lahoud's term, then anything agreed under pressure is considered cancelled." |