Lebanese Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Charles Ayoub Calls for Self Rule for Christians in Lebanon

Following are excerpts form an interview with Charles Ayoub, editor-in-chief of the Lebanese Al-Diyar newspaper, which aired on Al-Jadid/New TV on June 2, 2009:

Charles Ayoub: I have addressed my fellow Christians in Keserwan and Al-Fatouh: Let's establish a free and independent Christian region. I don't mean independent in the sense of a state, but...

Interviewer: They might think you are calling for a confederation of a federation.Charles Ayoub: I don't exclude this possibility...

Interviewer: Why?

Charles Ayoub: The Shiites and the Sunnis rule their regions. The Christians should, at least, rule their region.

Interviewer: This is dangerous. You are calling for partition.

Charles Ayoub: No, I'm not.

Interviewer: This is a form of partition, Charles.

Charles Ayoub: Partition means the partitioning of the Lebanese army, of the Lebanese currency, and of Lebanon's diplomatic corps. I'm talking about expanded administrative – and even political – decentralization. There is nothing wrong with having a parliament for the Christian regions, as well as a senate for all of Lebanon.

As a Christian, I swear on the cross, with my hand on the statue of the Virgin Mary – if Michel Aoun did not receive $100 million in contributions recently, I call upon the Virgin to wither my hand with cancer.