BEIRUT - Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir stated Thursday that there should be no army outside the state's control, in an apparent reference to Hizbullah.

"Nations of the world have resistance (movements) but these are non-armed factions. The concept here contradicts common concepts in the world," he added.

He asked the various factions to "adhere to the state's interests … so that the government would be able to work for the interest of all the Lebanese."