He came to international prominence in March 2000 when he wrote a front-page letter to Bashar Assad, son and then-heir apparent to then-Syrian president Hafez al Assad calling for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon[1] following the 1990 Taif Accords that ended Lebanon's civil war.[2] With this editorial, he broke an important press taboo.[8] His letter was published when a summit between then-US president Bill Clinton and then-Syrian President Hafez Assad was held in Geneva.[3] Tueni's letter led to a public objection from some newspapers and Lebanese officials. However, other writers agreed with its premises.[8] In April 2001, he cofounded the Qornet Shehwan Gathering together with nearly thirty Lebanese Christian politicians and public figures.[9]