Saudi Arabia shows willingness to support Lebanon, report says

Saudi Arabia is willing to help Lebanon and support the Lebanese army, sources said, as Lebanon plans to disarm Hezbollah.

A Saudi-French conference will be held in Riyadh to secure financial and logistic support for the army to enable it to deploy in the area south of the Litani river, the PSP's news portal al-Anbaa said Monday.

The sources also told al-Anbaa that Saudis and Arabs will invest in Lebanon once the disarmament is completed and the reforms are implemented.

Advisor to the Saudi Foreign Minister, Yazid bin Farhan, who had visited Lebanon last week confirmed to the leaders he met that Lebanon remains a top priority for Riyadh and that the kingdom is open to dialogue but only with the Lebanese state and its constitutional institutions, the report said.

Bin Farhan also praised the role played by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, describing him as a "statesman," and said that talks will be held with him over the reconstruction of war-hit regions, once the disarmament is implemented.

During Bin Farhan's visit, Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem called on Saudi Arabia to open a new page with Hezbollah, saying that "the resistance's arms are directed against Israel, not against Lebanon or KSA."