Qatar Reportedly Reverses Decision to Expel Lebanese Expats after Mediation by Gen. Ibrahim
Qatar reportedly reversed on Monday a decision to expel Shiite Lebanese citizens from the Gulf country.
"Qatar decided to suspend a decision to expel Lebanese expats after a mediation by General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim," OTV said on Monday evening.
Earlier in the day, al-Akhbar newspaper said many Lebanese have been expelled from Qatar after the Gulf Cooperation Council pledged to act against members of Hizbullah.
“Lebanese authorities were informed via the Lebanese embassy in Qatar that 5 Lebanese expats will be expelled from Doha,” Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour said in comments published in the newspaper.
He pointed out that Qatari authorities failed to clarify the reasons behind their move except for one of the expats who is allegedly charged of signing cheques without balance.
However, Mansour told LBCI later on that the Qatari authorities informed its Lebanese counterpart that the five Lebanese will not be expelled.
Last week, The Gulf Cooperation Council approved what it described as “the necessary measures against Hizbullah's interests” in the Gulf countries, after endorsing recommendations during a meeting in Riyadh in September.
Mansour pointed out that the expelled expats are not linked to any political activity.
“The decision was only taken by Qatar. We haven't been informed of such measures undertaken in any other Gulf state,” the caretaker minister said.
He stressed that the Lebanese authorities is exerting efforts to resolve the issue through the diplomatic channels.
In September, undersecretaries of the Gulf Cooperation Council's interior ministries discussed possible measures against suspected Hizbullah members living in the Gulf.
The GCC's measures come in response to Hizbullah's intervention in the Syrian war alongside President Bashar Assad's forces. The majority of Gulf countries back the rebels who are trying to topple the Syrian leader.
A source told al-Akhbar that the expelled Lebanese citizens were granted a week or a month to leave Doha.
The source added that the Lebanese nationals, who were expelled, entered Qatar in 2006.
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