MAARAB, Lebanon: The Christians of the Middle East should not view with trepidation the turmoil engulfing the region over the past 18 months, Syria especially, but should instead seize the initiative to advance change and ensure communal survival, says Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea.

“We should spearhead any quantum leap in the region, otherwise we will lose our role and if we lose our role we will lose our presence,” Geagea told The Daily Star in an interview. “We cannot as Christians keep our presence in this area by supplicating Hezbollah to give us a few parliamentary seats [or] by asking anybody else. We can keep our presence in the Middle East by playing a full-fledged role ... We should have a clear understanding, especially with something historic like the Arab Spring ... otherwise we will be [destined for] oblivion in a few decades if not in a few years.”

Read the complete story(Some news sites require registration)