Maronite leader returns from Istanbul

Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutrous Al-Raey returned to Beirut Saturday night after a successful visit to Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Reccep Erdogan declared while welcoming the Patriarch in Istanbul that Turkey hadn\'t had this kind of a visit since the days of the Ottoman empire. He added that the visit was very important especially as there was a need for dialogue and reconciliation. The Patriarch said: “Lebanon\'s stability is very important and we appreciate your role in that and the dialogue between religions...we hope for more cooperation between civilisations and religions.” In the press conference that was held at the end of his visit, the Patriarch said: “We bless and welcome any authority chosen by the [Arab] people in a legitimate way in any country, we only hope for the best democratic conditions so that everyone lives with dignity and freedom.” He said he distinguished between the Syrian regime that did not respect human rights or democracy and the secular Syrian state that was closer to democracy.