The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, received, François Barras, the Swiss Ambassador to Lebanon and discussed with him the recent developments on the Lebanese political scene, in addition to Lebanese-Swiss relations. The meeting also touched on the situation in Iraq and its effects on the neighboring countries.

The Sayyed thanked Switzerland for announcing in the past months that it is ready to host the Lebanese rival camps in an attempt to revive dialogue among them to find a solution for the prolonged political impasse.

On his part, the Swiss Ambassador clarified that his country is willing to try its best to prepare the most favorable atmosphere to have various conflicting groups in Lebanon come together and reach a fair settlement for the crisis.

Fadlullah indicated that the Lebanese used to say that their country is the Switzerland of the East, but the confessional system that has given the various confessions privileges at the expense of the country and the citizenry, has made it difficult to raise the country and unite the citizens, hence the confessions are acting as disunited states.

His Eminence emphasized the importance of taking up a European objective stand regarding the nation's issues and specially the Palestinian cause far from the American stand. Hence, everybody realizes the dangerousness of the American favoritism to Israel that made people in the region say that Israel is controlling America and not vice versa.

Fadlullah also wondered that: If the Bush Administration was serious about fighting for the rights of the distressed of the world according to what Bush had claimed when talking about Darfur, then why does not this Administration exert the least pressures on Israel to prevent it from continuing its genocide war against the Palestinian people?!

Moreover, H.E. stressed that America is not serious about its claims to fight terrorism because it is supporting terrorism in more than one country and it is protecting the Israeli terrorist state. Besides, America has participated in spreading terrorism in the region through exporting it (terrorism) - directly or indirectly- by promoting chaos and continuing to wage wars.

The Sayyed also pointed out that impasse in Lebanon would have been solved, but America had jeopardized any potentials and continued to play a damaging role in Lebanon since it prefers to use the Lebanese front as a main card in its political schemes in the region.