Lebanon Scrambles to Contain Fallout after Kordahi Remarks Anger Gulf
The Gulf Cooperation Council condemned Wednesday the statements made by Minister of Information George Kordahi about the Yemen war, saying it reflects “a limited knowledge and a shallow understanding” that are not acceptable.
Saudi sources told MTV media station that “we are facing a severe diplomatic crisis due to Kordahi's offensive statements to Arab countries, regardless of the timing of the interview.”
Kordahi had raised controversy by accusing Saudi Arabia and the UAE of “aggression against Yemen” in a recorded interview with al-Jazeera Online in August, a month before he was appointed as a minister in the government of Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
“The Yemeni war is absurd and it should stop,” he said, adding that “the Huthis are defending themselves against an external aggression.”
After the interview surfaced late Tuesday on social media, Kordahi tweeted that he “did not intend, in any way, to offend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Emirates,” and expressed his love and loyalty to the leaders and people of the two countries.
“What I said about the war in Yemen, I said it with conviction, not in defense of Yemen, but also out of love for Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” he said.
The Yemeni Ambassador to Lebanon said he will present a protest to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and responded to the latter’s recent tweets by saying that “it added insult to injury, as he did not apologize, but rather confirmed what he had said.”
Yemeni Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani, for his part, tweeted about Kordahi saying “it reflects a flagrant ignorance of the Yemeni issue, blind bias towards the terrorist Huthi militia, and disregard for the role of the Iranian regime and its expansionist agenda in Yemen and the region,” asking the Lebanese government for a “clear position.”
Prime Minsiter Najib Miqati said that Kordahi’s statements do not reflect the government’s position and stressed the brotherly ties between Lebanon, KSA and UAE.
He reiterated Wednesday after meeting President Michel Aoun in Baabda that “we are keen on having the best relations with the Arab countries and the Gulf, and President Aoun has asked me to confirm this position.”
Earlier this year, former foreign minister Charbel Wehbe made comments in a televised interview blaming Gulf states for the rise of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He resigned over the comments in May.
