Mansour to Encourage Kuwaitis to Visit Lebanon, Have Confidence in Security Situation

Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour traveled to Kuwait on Friday, saying he would encourage Kuwaiti officials to advise their citizens to visit Lebanon despite a travel ban.

In remarks to reporters at Rafik Hariri International Airport before heading to Kuwait, Mansour said: “We have friendly ties with Kuwait and we are keen on this relationship.”

He said he will tell Kuwaiti officials that Lebanon welcomes Kuwaitis any time and hopes that they would resume their travels to Beirut.

“We want them to have confidence in the security and political situation,” Mansour added.

Last year, Kuwait advised its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon and its nationals present in the country to leave due to the unstable security situation.

The caretaker FM traveled to Kuwait to participate in meetings in preparation for the Nov. 19-20 Arab-African Summit to which President Michel Suleiman will lead the Lebanese delegation.

Mansour told the reporters at the airport that the summit will boost relations between Arab and African countries and could pave way for future cooperation between them.

He said he will discuss with several of his counterparts on the sidelines of the summit the situation in Lebanon and the region, in addition to Lebanese expatriates in Africa.

Asked whether the Syrian war is on the agenda of the conference, Mansour said: “No doubt the Syrian issue is a major topic today and it interests not only Lebanon but the states of the region and the world.”

“It will be discussed during the meetings there,” he added.