Druze leader Walid Jumblatt called Tuesday for politicians to focus on improving the socio-economic situation and creating job opportunities in anticipation of Lebanese living abroad returning to the country amid the international crisis over terrorism. “We … should be ready to receive our fellow citizens who may be returning to the country” and therefore improve the education level in universities and reconsider the country’s economy, the Druze leader said. “We have to provide job opportunities for those who want to return to the country,” he added. Jumblatt spoke following a meeting with Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir. The meeting, less than two months after Sfeir’s historic visit to the Chouf mountain ­ the Druze homeland ­ marked a further step toward serious national reconciliation. Parliamentary sources familiar with the meeting described it as “extremely positive” and said Jumblatt insisted on the importance of maintaining relations between Bkirki and Mukhtara.
The sources said that the meeting focused on internal issues, in particular the cardinal’s visit to the Chouf in August, following which supporters of the banned Lebanese Forces and of former Army Commander General Michel Aoun were detained. The sources also said that the latest Maronite bishop’s statement, issued earlier this month, during which Bkirki reiterated its harsh criticism against the Syrian presence in Lebanon, was not discussed. The meeting served as an occasion for Jumblatt to reiterate his commitment to public liberties and democracy, saying: “We hope official parties in Lebanon will not use what happened in the United States as an excuse to repress public liberties or exert pressure on the media. “There has always been a tendency among security officials to exert pressure,” Jumblatt said, pointing out security developments following the cardinal’s visit to the Chouf. But “we, along with the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, the Democratic Forum and (head of the National Liberal Party) Dory Chamoun, will keep our eyes open” to avoid the recurrence of such undesired developments, the MP asserted. Jumblatt insisted on “reconciliation and dialogue” as an “important means to solve problems on the ground.” Commenting on the attention given to the latest developments in the United States, Jumblatt said: “If we were to focus only on what is happening in the world and forget about issues such as the payment of schools fees, electricity and water problems and the deteriorating economic situation, we would be entering a dark tunnel.”