Jeffrey Feltman: Position of Patriarch Rai is "unjustified & reckless"!

"The position of Maronite Patriarch Rai on Syria is “unjustified and reckless," an unidentified senior U.S. official told An-Nahar newspaper. Following the patriarch’s return from Paris, the U.S. official expressed surprise and disappointment over Rai’s statements, saying it “hurt his reputation and his job,” the newspaper reported Sunday.
In comments made during a visit to Paris last week Rai voiced caution over the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, suggesting that its collapse could pose a threat to Christians in the country, and urging the international community to give Assad more time to implement reforms. Later in the week, the patriarch was seen to indirectly defend Hezbollah’s weapons when he linked the arsenal to the defense of Lebanon from Israel.
According to the An-Nahar, the U.S. official also criticized Hezbollah for its refusal to relinquish its weapons, adding that it did not defend Lebanon, but was rather an extension of Iran."