Saudi Ambassador Submits Copy of Credentials to Foreign Ministry
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Yaacoub has presented a copy of his credentials to Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil in preparation for presenting them to President Michel Aoun, ending a diplomatic tussle over presentation with each country delaying accreditation of the other's diplomat.
Yaacoub presented his letters of credence to Bassil at the Foreign Ministry, the State-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Unnamed Foreign Ministry sources said: “The delay in accrediting Yaacoub was the result of the delay in accrediting the Lebanese ambassador to Saudi Arabia Fawzi Kabbara in Riyadh.”
However, the sources stressed that Lebanon supports “friendly relations with Saudi Arabia,” noting “consensus not to interfere in the internal affairs of Arab countries.”
Lebanon's ambassador to Saudi Arabia and his Saudi counterpart were caught in what appeared to be a diplomatic tussle over representation, with each country delaying accreditation of the other's diplomat, though both were named months ago.
The delay highlighted tension between SA and Lebanon following the bizarre, now-reversed resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Riyadh.
Lebanon's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a member of Hariri's political party, was named to the post in late July and was only accredited late in December in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia named its ambassador in September. Ambassador Walid al-Yaacoub arrived in Lebanon in November, but still has not been sworn in by the president.
Lebanon was thrown into a political crisis after the Nov. 4 Hariri resignation which he delivered in a televised statement read from the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Hariri has since withdrawn his resignation and returned home nearly three weeks later.
The resignation was widely perceived as Saudi-orchestrated, and part of the kingdom's high-stakes rivalry with Iran. Iran is ally and backer of Hizbllah, which is a partner in the Hariri government. The resignation was viewed as an attempt to break up that unity government and pull the rug from under Iran's ally and destabilize the country.
Domestic support for Hariri and international mediation by France and the U.S. helped reverse the resignation. Saudi officials, however, maintained their vocal criticism of Hezbollah. It is not yet clear what the Saudi policy is for Lebanon.
Source: Naharnet, Associated Press
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