Diplomat Says Lebanese Government Should Issue Apology before Gulf Tour
An Arab diplomatic source has said that the Lebanese government should issue an apology to Saudi Arabia before forming a ministerial delegation to tour Arab countries.
The source told the Kuwaiti al-Anbaa newspaper published on Tuesday that Riyadh might not welcome the delegation led by Prime Minister Tammam Salam in case Beirut does not apologize for its failure to back Saudi Arabia in its spat with Iran.
Salam said on Monday that he will head the delegation to visit Gulf states in the near future after Saudi Arabia halted security assistance deals worth $4 billion.
The PM insisted Beirut stands by Arab countries, and said it is necessary to rectify relations between Lebanon and its "brothers.”
He also called for "removing the stains" that surfaced recently.
Riyadh's decision to halt the aid to Lebanon came after Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, who heads the Free Patriotic Movement that is allied with Hizbullah, declined to support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two recent meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers.
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