(Simona Mengascini, SIR correspondent in Cyprus) – Yesterday, the forum of Cyprus was also attended by Ibrahim Chamseddine, Minister of Administrative Reforms, who said "Obama’s election is a source of hope for Lebanon." The minister affirmed that with the new president "a new framework to solve the problems may be settled" and he announced that "Lebanon and Syria are currently discussing the establishment of diplomatic relations, including the exchange of Ambassadors. For Lebanon, good relations with Syria are part of a destiny and, at the same time, a choice." The minister then added that one must stop considering Muslims as bearded men and religious "terrorists." "Even Benedict XVI, who is a man of deep faith, is not a fanatic," he added. The minister explained that "the nature of the conflict in Lebanon has never been religious, but only and always political." Then he recalled John Paul II who defined the country ‘message of cohabitation’, an image that for Lebanese people is the "reference point" for the establishment of a peaceful cohabitation between Muslims and Catholics. ” ” ” “
