Cabinet 'Renews Trust' in Salam in Wake of Debate over his Stance at Arab Summit

Prime Minister Tammam Salam stressed on Wednesday that his position at the recent Arab League summit stemmed from his keenness on Lebanon and its role in the Arab community.

Information Minister Ramzi Jreij said: “Salam emphasized that his stance reflected Lebanon's interest to remain within the Arab fold.”

He made his remarks at the end of a cabinet session held at the Grand Serail and chaired by the premier.

“The stance also stemmed from his keenness to keep Lebanon neutral from regional axes and conflicts,” added the minister.

Salam had declared on Tuesday that Lebanon's stance at the Arab summit comes in harmony with the ministerial policy statement.

On Monday, Hizbullah Industry Minister Hussein al-Hajj Hassan slammed Salam's stances at the Arab summit, pointing out that the PM's remarks do not reflect the viewpoint of all Lebanese.

Jreij said that the premier's stance was discussed at the cabinet session, adding that the ministers renewed at the end of the talks “their trust in the premier.”

Addressing the Arab League summit held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday night, Salam said Lebanon supported any decision to preserve the territorial integrity of Yemen, reiterating the country's commitment to the dissociation policy and called for distancing Lebanon from the region's conflicts.

The two-day summit ended Sunday with a vow to defeat Iranian-backed Shiite Huthi rebels in Yemen and the formal unveiling of plans to form a joint Arab intervention force.

A Saudi-led coalition began bombing Yemen last week, saying it was targeting the rebels and their allies.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah unleashed a tirade against Saudi Arabia after the offensive over its intervention in Yemen, calling it "surprising and painful," and suggesting Riyadh would suffer a "humiliating defeat" if it didn't resolve the conflict through negotiations.

M.T.

H.K.