Hizbullah: Salam's Arab Stances weren't Discussed in Cabinet, Don't Reflect Viewpoint of All Lebanese
Hizbullah noted Monday that Prime Minister Tammam Salam's stances at the Arab Summit were not discussed or sanctioned by the cabinet, pointing out that the PM's remarks do not reflect the viewpoint of all Lebanese.
“We listened to PM Tammam Salam's speech at the Arab Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, in which he justified the aggression by some Arab countries against Yemen and its people and voiced support for the creation of a joint Arab force,” Hizbullah Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan said in a communique.
“We want to clarify that these two stances – the aggression on Yemen and the creation of a joint Arab force – were not discussed in the Lebanese cabinet,” Hajj Hassan declared.
He underlined that Salam's remarks “reflect the viewpoint of a part of the Lebanese and do not reflect Lebanon's official stance which should be taken by the Lebanese government.”
“We will raise this issue in the next cabinet session,” the minister announced.
Last week, Saudi Arabia launched military operation Firmness Storm to combat the growing influence of the Iranian-backed Huthi movement in Yemen. It has launched airstrikes in the country, backed by several Arab and Muslim countries.
An Arab League summit declared over the weekend that the operation will continue until legitimacy is restored to Yemen through the reinstatement of toppled President Abdrabbo Mansour Hadi. Arab leaders also agreed to establish a joint Arab military force.
In his speech at the summit, Salam stressed keenness on supporting “constitutional legitimacy in Yemen” and “any Arab stance that preserves Yemen's sovereignty, territorial integrity and social fabric.”
He said the threats emanating from the Yemeni crisis prompted Saudi Arabia to "heed ... President Hadi's call and launch an Arab-Islamic military coalition to contain the dangers, consolidate legitimacy and restore normalcy in Yemen."
Salam also voiced support for “the creation of a joint Arab force to combat terrorism and safeguard Arab national security.”
Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has lashed out at Riyadh over its military offensive against the Huthis, who are accused of receiving major support from Iran, Hizbullah's main regional ally.
He accused the Gulf kingdom of turning a blind eye to the Palestinian people's plight, “financing” the Islamic State extremist group, and fabricating “lies” to justify the military intervention in Yemen.
Y.R.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/173701 |