Sleiman: Those who refuse dialogue must offer alternatives

President of the Republic Michel Sleiman stressed on Tuesday, after meeting with Maronite Patriarch in Bkirky, the importance of dialogue, noting that it yielded various positive results, the last of which being the declaration of Baabda. The President wished all Lebanese happy holidays, and a Merry Christmas to Christians. On that note, he expressed his deepest sympathy with Lebanese hostages in Syria, urging their abductors to set them free immediately. He also addressed families of hostages who have recently threatened to attack Turkish interests in Lebanon, advising them to refrain from such destructive practices as Turkey was not the kidnapping side. He also revealed that a ministerial committee was formed to address the issue of the kidnapped pilgrims. He also urged the Turkish government to exert further efforts for their release. Regarding inter-Lebanese dialogue, the President invited all factions to get together to discuss pivotal national issues, as boycotting discussions would lead to instability. "Nowadays, boycott aims to overthrow the government. But dialogue is a necessity and all parties must participate," he said. Turning to the controversial issue of upcoming parliamentary elections, Sleiman stated that elections under any law were better than no elections at all. "Personally, I prefer the adoption of proportional law proposed by the government. But the non-approval of a new electoral law shall not cancel the elections. Though the law of 1960 was bad, it is still better than blocking the election, "he said. President Sleiman finally stated that a meeting of the Council of Ministers is scheduled, in order to better control the influx of refugees into Lebanon.