08/02/2010 Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir said on Monday Maronites need guarantees from no one as their presence is based on a covenant.
 
"Our presence is based on a covenant and through this we prove ourselves and ask for no one's guarantees," Sfeir said in a message on Fasting and on the occasion of the 1,600 anniversary of the death of Saint Maroun.
 
"The Maronite community presents an expression of Maronite independence," Sfeir stressed.
 
He said Lebanese Christians in general and Maronites in particular "have worked to achieve two inseparable goals throughout their history -- the establishment of a Lebanese state and entity and strengthening their presence in Lebanon, and then played a key role in the country's structure.
 
Sfeir stressed that Lebanon is "first and foremost a Covenant for a cause."
 
"This Covenant among the Lebanese sects is in essence an act of freedom and an act of determination at the same time," he explained.
 
Describing Lebanon as a "distinguished country in the world," Sfeir said Lebanon does not exist on a treaty between Muslims and Christians, but on a "Covenant based on minority cultures that have turned into human sects."