Following is a translation of the communiqué issued at the end of a summit meeting of all the representatives of Lebanon's different religious communities at the Maronite Patriarchate in Bkirki. The meeting, which took place on August 2, was held to denounce the Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon, and was highly significant because it displayed in the most public fashion in years, a unity between representatives of the religious communities on the matter of Lebanon's relations with Israel.

1. [We] condemn the cowardly Israeli aggression against our sons in South Lebanon, the West Biqa`, and in other Lebanese regions, and the tragedy it provoked. This aggression took the form of a total and systematic destruction of Lebanese towns and villages, and caused the forced exodus of their peaceful inhabitants, of which 400,000 were [displaced] without shelter, and hundreds killed and injured.
2. [We] appeal to the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations to immediately intervene and put a permanent end to the aggression and erase its after-effects, and adopt sanctions against the Israeli aggressor for [its] violation of international conventions and the UN Charter which prohibit the use of military force against a sovereign state.
3. [We] ask the Great Powers, in particular the United States, to assume their responsibilities in the implementation of international resolutions, in particular resolution 425 which calls for an Israeli withdrawal to the international [Lebanese-Israeli] border. The implementation of this resolution is likely to strengthen security and stability in the border region in South Lebanon.
4. [We] praise the wise and firm methods adopted by the State to face the Israeli aggression, and the Arab countries which responded positively to the calls issued by Lebanon for the convening of a meeting of Arab League [foreign ministers] in Damascus, and the meeting of Arab parliamentarians in Beirut, in solidarity with Lebanon. The Arab countries are called upon to implement their commitment to reinforce the resistance in the face of Israeli aggression.
5. [We] exhort friendly and brotherly countries and humanitarian organizations to provide the necessary aid for the reconstruction of towns and villages [partially or totally destroyed] by the aggression, to allow their inhabitants to return home and live in dignity, and to allow the government to strengthen the capabilities of the Lebanese army so that it can defend the country and its borders.
6. [We] urge all Lebanese to provide donations to the state bodies responsible for distributing aid, and to humanitarian aid bodies. This measure will help reinforce the links between the Lebanese to face this tragedy.
7. [We] salute the spirit of solidarity of the Lebanese who stood united in maintaining the process of unity and reconstruction, and opposed the aggression which [sought to undermine], in the first place, their unity, existence, and sovereignty. The Lebanese must strengthen their unity and that of the state, as well as coexistence and the basic principles of Lebanon: liberty, sovereignty, and independence.
8. [We] warn against all efforts designed to harm the [unchanging foundations] on which Lebanon is built.
9. [We] insist on the right of the State to extend its authority over all its national territory, support the process of understanding, and pursue the process of rebuilding the army and the Internal Security Forces, so that they may fulfill the tasks with which they are entrusted.
10. A follow-up committee will be formed [by the participants in the summit] which will have the task of [explaining] the positions of the Lebanese religious leaders to [religious authorities] around the world and to the different international organizations.