GCC Discusses Measures to 'Confront Hizbullah' as Salam Meets Gulf Envoys
The Gulf Cooperation Council on Wednesday discussed measures aimed at “confronting Hizbullah” as Prime Minister Tammam Salam held talks with the ambassadors of the Gulf states.
“The council of GCC foreign ministers discussed the measures that must be taken to confront Hizbullah,” Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced after a council meeting in Riyadh.
“We call for Lebanon's unity but what is disturbing in the Lebanon question is that a militia that is classified as terrorist controls decision-making in Lebanon," he said.
Jubeir also criticized a recent decision by Lebanon's Military Court to release on bail Syria-linked ex-minister Michel Samaha, who is facing charges of having planned "terrorist" acts and assassinations in collaboration with a top Syrian official.
Samaha's release "does not positively indicate that the army is independent of Hizbullah's influence," he said.
Asked about further Gulf sanctions against Hizbullah, Jubeir said the foreign ministers of the GCC had decided to look into measures that "would prevent Hizbullah from benefiting from GCC states."
Meanwhile, PM Salam met with the GCC ambassadors at the Grand Serail to discuss the latest measures that were taken against Lebanon.
“We are here at Salam's invitation and to listen to what he has to say,” Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri said upon his arrival at the meeting.
Speaking on behalf of the envoys after the meeting, Kuwaiti Ambassador Abdel-Al al-Qinai said: “Salam conveyed a clear message to us and we will carefully relay it to our countries.”
Wishing the Lebanese-Gulf ties “continuous improvement,” Qinai said the envoys sensed Salam's “keenness on the best ties with the Gulf countries.”
He also reassured that no measures will be taken against “the good Lebanese who do not have problems with the Gulf countries.”
The developments come amid an unprecedented strain in the relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia that Riyadh has attributed to “hostile” Lebanese diplomatic positions and alleged Hizbullah "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."
Saudi Arabia started a series of measures against Lebanon and Hizbullah on February 19 when it announced that it was halting around $4 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army and security forces.
The kingdom later slapped sanctions on individuals and firms accused of ties to Hizbullah and advised its citizens against travel to Lebanon while urging those already in the country to leave it. Around 90 Lebanese citizens have also been fired from their jobs in Saudi Arabia, according to media reports.
Saudi Arabia also pushed the GCC to label Hizbullah as a “terrorist” organization over purported "terrorist acts and incitement in Syria, Yemen and in Iraq."
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah hit back on Sunday, noting that “Saudi Arabia is angry because its bets in Syria and Yemen have failed.”
Y.R.
Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/204165 |