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| 05/07/2008 The first National Christian Forum was launched on Friday with a gathering that saw leading Christian figures attending, including former Phalange and Lebanese Forces members.
210 political, syndical, economic, intellectual and cultural figures took part in the meeting that was held in Dbayye, Beirut after months of preparations.
MP General Michel Aoun who initiated the gathering addressed the conferees, warning that Lebanon was still running the risk of Palestinian resettlement as Israel had denied them their right to return. "Lebanon is caught between the East and the West due to its pluralist composition. Its national unity is threatened, and its decision-making power is being taken to other capitals,” Aoun warned, adding that national unity could only be fostered through dialogue among all confessions. Aoun also called for a "joint conduct that would reassure the various sects," labeling Christians in Lebanon as "pioneers." "Christians should achieve solidarity with other sects," Aoun said, urging Christians to "heal their body from cancerous tumors."
The General stressed the need to consolidate the resistance in Lebanon in the face of outside and inside endeavors to deem Lebanon a weak country and ignore its rights. "Supporting the resistance is an option to confront threats facing the nation," Aoun said. He recalled Lebanon's great victory in the July 2006 Israeli war and slammed US-Israeli policy of using arms to subjugate Lebanon and its people. "Our opposition to U.S. foreign policy is an act of self defense. However, that does not mean that we are against the American people whose humanitarian values we share," Aoun said.
Aoun said the understanding between his Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah was necessary to fortify the resistance against Israel's aggressive policy. Aoun also said he regretted that “major events in the Middle East” had proved that certain groups in Lebanon were not up to the required role, which had had repercussions inside Lebanon.
"I tell the Christians of Lebanon that they are of this East and that they have a leading role in Lebanon,” he stressed.
Following Aoun's address, the Gathering 12-point charter was declared.
Former Chairman of the Bar Association Shakib Qortbawi read out the statement.
"Lebanon can only survive through a partnership between strong Christians and strong Muslims," the document said.
It called for a "civic state and adherence to the rights of the various sects in a pluralist Lebanon."
The statement called for a security system to protect Lebanon from all attacks and preserve its sovereignty, particularly against Israel.
It said the Christians are "misrepresented" and criticized the decrease in presidential powers.
The document rejected the naturalization law and its implications and called for the re-creation of the middle class.
It criticized "political money" and rejected "auto security."
The document also called for a "historic settlement" of Lebanese-Syrian relations.
It called for respecting the constitution and for redistribution of seats in some election constituencies.
The statement also covered the danger of Palestinian resettlement, which would overturn the demographic equation in Lebanon and only exacerbate the crisis in a country lacking sufficient natural resources.
The statement focused on immigration, the diaspora’s right to Lebanese citizenship.
It spoke of a leading role by Lebanon's Christians and declared commitment to international humanitarian law. | 
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