Cabinet Holds Extraordinary Session Monday as Mashnouq Hopes it Addresses Foreign Policy
The cabinet is scheduled to convene on Monday to address the repercussions of Saudi Arabia's decision to halt its aid grant to the Lebanese army.
The government will hold its extraordinary meeting at 10:00 am on Monday.
Earlier, Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq wondered whether Riyadh's decision is part of a “confrontation with Lebanon or a withdrawal” from the Lebanese scene, reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday.
He hoped the cabinet would address its foreign policy.
“I believe we will be able to reach the desired result with Prime Minister Tammam Salam,” he said without elaborating.
The minister urged Riyadh to support “those who have backed it, who represent the majority of the Lebanese people and Saudi Arabia is aware of this, so does the whole world.”
Lebanon's choice will “always be Arab”, declared Mashnouq, “no matter the cost.”
“We have paid dearly in the past ten years for defending this stance and we are ready and persevering along this path,” he stressed.
Saudi Arabia said on Friday that it has halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hizbullah's policies and recent diplomatic stances by the Lebanese foreign ministry.
The move brought widespread condemnation from the March 14 alliance against Hizbullah and the Free Patriotic Movement, whose leader is Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/202665 |