Report: Saudi King Awaiting Presidential Polls to Sign Arms Delivery Contract

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

The singing of a contract between France and Saudi Arabia to provide Lebanon with military assistance is being delayed over a political decision linked to the Lebanese presidential elections, Saudi sources said.

The sources told An Nahar newspaper published on Wednesday that it was up to Saudi King Abdullah to sign the contract but the delay was caused by a “political decision” linked to the outcome of the polls.

The issue is “no longer technical,” the sources said.

Lebanon has been without a president since May when Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended with MPs unable to find a successor over their differences on a compromise candidate.

A $3 billion Saudi grant to the Lebanese army was announced under Suleiman's tenure in December.

Last month, French diplomats said Saudi red tape had delayed the Lebanese army's purchase of the French weapons under the $3 billion deal financed by Riyadh.

But Saudi Ambassador Ali Awadh Asiri denied the accusation, saying the $3 billion was awaiting the spending mechanism and hinged on the final deal between Lebanon and France, meaning between the seller and the buyer.

French Foreign Minister spokesman Romain Nadal said Tuesday: “We are putting the final touches on the contract.”

“The delivery of the military equipment needs time,” he added.

G.K.

H.K.

Comments 14
Default-user-icon kazan (Guest) 10 September 2014, 08:33

Is it denial , ignorance or stupidity? I really wouldn't know , but the result is the same . Can you imagine the foundation of a building is collapsing and the residents are discussing which colour to paint the windows. Lebanon is collapsing and the politicians and most of the people are discussing how to solve the presidency .The foundation of a country is its people , I agree that the population of Lebanon never felt united , but never so polarized ,hopeless ,aimless and full of hatred like nowadays. How to solve it? People,accept your loss , your politicians have betrayed you, they created this tragedy.

Default-user-icon + oua nabka + (Guest) 10 September 2014, 09:57

now we understand who is and was delaying our gaz and oil projects so he can choose the time and impose his conditions

Thumb _mowaten_ 10 September 2014, 10:30

saudis juicing those 3bn as far as they can. now they want to use them to influence the choice of president in Lebanon.

but what's the rush anyway, heh? it's only been a year that it's hanging in the air, and it's not like we have hordes of terrorists at our doors.

Thumb _mowaten_ 10 September 2014, 11:35

cant see them kidnapping soldiers and civilians and beheading them, nor planting bombs in civilian areas, nor attacking army checkpoints... so take your cheap propaganda and shove it up your kiriet shlomo

Missing imagine_1979 10 September 2014, 11:54

Well mowaten, u do see them jilling civilian like hachem salman, like 7ayyar.. U dont see them kidnapping people well on this one u should look better with all the kidnappings going on (by the way a libanese mea pilot is still missing in dahiyeh no?..) u don't see them killing soldiers (officer samer hanna assassinated while on a lebanese helicopter.. Siorry u r right the guys mistaken him for a bird) u don't see 13political assassinations??? U don't see the bearded guy with it turban saying they are the decent of ali preaching for jihadist duty in syria irak yemen...
Maybe u should take ur head out of ur arse sometime...
Da3ech chiaa style, u r no better.. Screw u all retards...
U don't even deserve a chupachups...

Missing imagine_1979 10 September 2014, 11:58

Waww flame what a good deduction, u'll get ur dirst chupachups for the day....
Bravo...

Thumb _mowaten_ 10 September 2014, 12:28

imagine: hashem salman was killed by the guards of the iranian embassy after his friend took a gun out and opened fire. stop pretending this never happened to reheat and serve your lukewarm propaganda.

as for samer hanna, you have been bringing him up every day for the last 6 years, when the shooter has been judged by a military judge and it was found to have been an accident. 1 accident and you whine for 6 years, all the while ignoring hundreds of soldiers deliberately killed in abra, arsal, tripoli.
it is shameful of you, you clearly do not care about our soldiers. if you did you would condemn those who killed hundreds of them, not those who fight side by side with them. what you're trying to do is simply to exploit samer hanna's death, and like the saudis, juicing it to the last drop for your propaganda.

Default-user-icon + oua nabka+ (Guest) 10 September 2014, 12:32

now we know who was and still is hindering efforts so that Lebanon do not make money from its oil and gaz wealth

Missing imagine_1979 10 September 2014, 13:02

My dear Mowaten, i condemn both of u retards, let them be suni or shiite (or our christian brother in central africa..)
All part of past centuries with ayatolah or baghdadi telling people how to live, execussion in tehran for adultery, trespassing of islamic state rule are also murder u know..
As for samer hana, of course the judge found it was an accident (even hezbos start by putting it on israel) as they found no need to open a lawsuit again hachem salem assassins, as they fiund that butross harb attempt assassination guy was no worth looking for, as for hariri, kassir, hawi... assassins...
Of course hezbos have nothing to do with that, ashraf el nass...
Retards...

Missing imagine_1979 10 September 2014, 13:03

I donno, i recieved none of it, but a least it passes through the state, no in bags sent to wahab, smaha, hezbos....
No?...

Missing cedars 10 September 2014, 13:53

He give it to the head of state and not to bunch manipulators that can't find their way to the parliament except to get re-elected.

Thumb _mowaten_ 10 September 2014, 14:03

yea lol just like geagea didnt follow-up on the flower-picking attempt. wonder why?

Thumb geha 10 September 2014, 16:59

amazing comments of those extremists terrorists of m8!

thank you KSA for being better than our supposed compatriots. thank you for not sending the weapons directly to your allies in mustaqbal (like the iranians do by sending weapons to their extremist terrorist hizbushaitan)
thank you for respecting our country and refusing to give away these billions worth of weapons to the Lebanese state represented by its president as it should be.
forgive those idiots of m8 for not understanding that countries behave this way when they respect each other.

Thumb lebpatriot0007 10 September 2014, 22:57

lol @ march 14 puppets