16 Lebanese Expatriates Expelled from Bahrain

Lebanon’s ambassador to Bahrain, Aziz al-Qazzi, has said that six Lebanese expatriates were requested to leave Bahrain, after relations between the two countries deteriorated following the Hizbullah leader’s support for the Shiite-led Bahraini opposition.

While al-Qazzi didn’t confirm to An-Nahar daily the reasons behind the expulsion, he told The Daily Star newspaper in remarks published Monday that “security reasons” forced the Bahraini authorities to take such a decision.

“Six Lebanese nationals were informed by the authorities to leave without knowing the reason,” al-Qazzi told An-Nahar.

Bahraini authorities have accused Hizbullah of meddling in its internal affairs.

According to reports, ten other Lebanese nationals were expelled from Bahrain last Thursday.

“Lebanese individuals were notified personally by the Bahraini authorities that they have a one-week deadline to leave the country,” al-Qazzi to The Daily Star.

Authorities in Manama have stripped more than a dozen Lebanese of their work and residency permits, the daily remarked.

The Lebanese embassy is working hard to ensure that the political crisis between the two countries would not escalate, the ambassador stressed.

Qazzi told Free Lebanon radio on Monday that the expelled Lebanese are not affiliated with any political party, “but they are hard workers whose main concern is earning a living for their families.”

“The Bahraini authorities did not present any official explanation for the expulsion, because they believe that they have the right to take decisions that protect the country’s safety and security,” he added.

“Despite the many rumors that more Lebanese have been expelled, there has been no new information to confirm them,” he noted.