Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir has said the controversy over the fate of President Emile Lahoud has harmed the position of the presidency and warned of the divisions dominating the political situation in the country.

In a speech on the occasion of Western Easter, the head of the Maronite Christian church on Friday lamented the situation in Lebanon where he said political wrangling and divisions were tearing the country apart.

Sfeir said the top posts in the country were also affected by the internal splits, notably the presidency.

"The presidency has almost lost its luster and dignity because of the debates surrounding it that have caused damage to the respect (it deserves)," the patriarch said.

He said as a result, the top executive post -reserved to the Maronites- is losing its influence at the expense of the other leading government positions.

According to Lebanon's sectarian-based system, the top three posts are divided among the country's largest communities. The president is always Maronite, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of Parliament a Shiite.

"This is destabilizing the pillars of the government and making them weaker," Sfeir said.

Lebanon's anti-Syrian parliamentary majority considers Lahoud the last vestige of Syria's influence over Lebanon and has been seeking to depose him. However, it does not command the necessary votes in parliament to do so.

Some anti-Syrian politicians, including cabinet ministers and Prime Minister Fouad Saniora, have had open confrontations with the head of state. An exchange of insults earlier this month between cabinet ministers and Lahoud was broadcast on television.

The president's fate has dominated national dialogue talks grouping the country's top 14 rival political leaders who are discussing contentious issues related to Lebanon's future. However, the participants have failed to reach an agreement on this issue sparking speculations that Lahoud may stay in power until the end of his extended term in 2007.

The Patriarch is expected to hold closed-door talks with the president on Sunday after Easter mass at Bkirki.

Sfeir said the Lebanese are paying the price for this squabbling between politicians that is pulling the county in opposite directions.

"The divisions in the government have led to a split among the Lebanese who are now two blocs confronting each other," he said.

Those paying the highest price for this polarization are the Lebanese themselves who are resorting to emigration in order to escape the dire economic situation that the government is unable to address, Sfeir said.

"However, we are believers and we can not surrender to despair," he added.