Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Abdallah Bou Habib, participated in the ninth international forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations held today in Fez in the Kingdom of Morocco.

In his delivered speech at the forum, Bou Habib thanked the Kingdom for its “warm reception, hospitality and organization,” and the Alliance of Civilizations for “ensuring the success of this forum at a time of deep divisions that the world is witnessing.”

Bou Habib considered that “the forum’s convening in the Kingdom of Morocco is a confirmation of its historical roles related to civilizations and openness,” stressing that “it constitutes an affirmation of the multiplicity of civilizations and cultures in the world that enrich it…and if we are to make good use of it, it would enjoy peace, tranquility, and acceptance of the different other…”

In this context, he referred to the feature of pluralism and rich diversity in Lebanon, which constitutes a model for coexistence due to the mixing of religions and civilizations, and the plurality of sects in it that impacts its cultural, social and political aspects. He added that the Lebanese live in their pluralism, with societal mixing and cultural interaction, despite the political difficulties they face from time to time, while realizing the impossibility of continuing without dialogue and understanding as a basis for the establishment of the country and the stability of society alike, a message described by Pope John Paul II.

“Lebanon is currently living in the midst of huge storms of political instability leading to an unprecedented economic and financial collapse, which poses a threat to the entity of the state and the structure of society, especially in light of the inability to elect a President of the Republic and implement the required economic and financial reforms, both at the Lebanese and international levels,” Bou Habib went on, citing Lebanon’s misuse of the diversity it enjoys as one possible reason for its prevailing crises.

He added: “What exacerbates the crisis in Lebanon, and threatens the Lebanese model, is the entry of a new social component into it, as a result of the massive Syrian displacement since the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, in the absence of a serious road map for their return, which raises doubts about the intention of some members of the international community towards preserving the Lebanese model.”

Bou Habib underlined the impossibility to wait for political solutions whose indicators have not yet appeared till this day, especially with the world’s preoccupation with new crises and conflicts that have distracted its attention and resources from the problems of the Middle East, in general, and the Syrian crisis, in particular.

“Lebanon is the message; it is the meeting place of civilizations, religions, sects, and coexistence, and it is the country of cedar, tolerance and beauty…What is required of the international community, especially from donor countries, is not to heighten its internal problems, but rather to help it to overcome them,” Bou Habib concluded.