Obama to convene with Patriarchs participating in the “Defending Christians of the East” Conference this month

To be held during the period 9th to 11th September is the Conference for “Defending Christians of the East”, in Washington. A source from the organizing committee of the conference stated that “US President Barak Obama will convene with the Patriarchs participating in the conference, and work is under way to prepare this meeting”, clarifying that its official timing is yet to be set, yet the White House has welcomed the meeting, to be scheduled at a later time, to include Maronite Patriarch Beshara Botros Al-Raaï, and all Patriarchs of the East, who are participating in the Washington Conference. The lawyer Waleed Ghayyad clarified that “Patriarch Al-Raaï will deliver at the White House meeting a speech on behalf of all Patriarchs, in which he will indicate the situation in the area, not to mention the elements pertaining to Christians in the East.”