Bahrain Summons Lebanese Charge D'Affaires over Aoun's 'Irresponsible' Remarks as MP Defends Free Speech
Bahrain summoned on Friday the Lebanese charge d'affaires at the Lebanese Embassy in the Gulf state over remarks made by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun earlier this week, reported the Bahrain News Agency.
Ibrahim Assaf was summoned over statements the MP made to Iran's al-Alam television on Wednesday, which Bahrain considered “irresponsible meddling in its internal affairs.”
Undersecretary of Regional and Gulf Cooperation Council Affairs Hamad al-Amer presented Assaf with an official complaint over Aoun's statements, expressing his country's “great condemnation” of the remarks.
He stressed the need for the necessary measures to be taken in light with the need to respect the fraternal ties between Lebanon and Bahrain.
“The Lebanese government is obligated to issue an official statement to clarify its position from the remarks that do not serve the special fraternal relationship between the two countries,” reported the Bahrain News Agency.
Aoun later responded to Bahrain's criticism of his remarks, by saying: “We have our own free opinion and enjoy freedom of speech.”
He told al-Mada Radio on Saturday: “We support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Bahrain would incur a lot of criticism if it does not advocate it.”
He noted the “massacres and takfiris” present in Syria, while highlighting the peacefulness of the Bahraini protests.
“One must distinguish between a revolt that massacres and kills its people and another that demands their rights,” the MP said.
The FPM leader had told al-Alam that the demands of the protesters in Bahrain are “fair and justified.”
He criticized the Arab League and international community for failing to support the protests.
Aoun added: “It's unfortunate that a peaceful revolution, which has been oppressed and going on for three years, has not been recognized enough by the world.”
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