Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai announced during the ministerial meeting in Diman that he told French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, "What you hear from here and there is a storm in a teacup, and there are two candidates, so let’s go to the council and elect one of them." He noted that "our meeting is far from anything called official matters, and there is nothing hidden here; some should not read between the lines."
In turn, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati affirmed during his meeting with Patriarch Rai in Diman that "we need this meeting today because the country is without a president, and the parliament does not convene, and there is no agenda for this meeting; we will discuss two matters: the Lebanese formula and moral values, and the spiritual family is a fundamental pillar." He stated that the meeting is "spontaneous," and many concerns unite them, including respect for the formula, diversity, and Lebanese unity, which is an asset for Lebanon. He expressed fear that values might be threatened, assuring that "we will strive to fill a small gap, even if it is in a statement, a meeting, or a single word, amidst all the disputes."
Caretaker Minister of Information Ziad Makari emphasized upon his arrival in Diman that the country is greater than anyone, considering that "the blessing of the patriarch is essential for the Christian cover," and that "the symbolism of the meeting in Diman is fundamental."
Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived at the summer patriarchal edifice in Diman to hold a meeting with Patriarch Rai, followed by a consultative meeting with the ministers at the patriarchate. Ministers, including Youssef Khalil, Firas Al-Abiad, Issam Sharafeddine, Abbas Halabi, Nagla Riachi, John Karam, George Klass, Ziad Makari, Bassam Mawlawi, Abbas Haj Hassan, Mustafa Bayram, Ali Hamieh, Amin Salam, Mohammad Wissam Al-Murtada, and George Bushkian, also attended.
