Syrian Patriarch: Syria’s cause is essential being linked to the Palestinian cause

Greek Catholic Patriarch Gregorios III Laham of Antioch and All the East stressed that the issue of Syria is the main cause today as it is connected with the Palestinian cause and its impact will reflect on Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Palestine, Iraq and later on the Gulf.

“The crisis in Syria is the crisis of the whole Arab world, and this means that everyone in the region is part of the crisis and part of the solution and no one should exclude himself from it,” Patriarch Laham said in a televised interview aired Saturday.

He pointed out that the reason why there has not been a solution to the crisis so far is because no agreement has yet been reached on the major terrorists, adding that Syria has become a place for a war of interests, which makes a solution non-existent.

The Patriarch stressed on rejecting the fragmentation of Syria. “Syria’s unity is the unity of the Arab world, and it’s not the West or the Americans who would make our future, but we will make it with our own hands.”

Patriarch Laham warned that weapons are tools to stoke the crisis and not to end it, saying that increasing armament would prolong the crisis and lead to increasing the number of victims.