Jumblat Lauds al-Faisal’s Remarks on STL, Syria, Bahrain

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat on Wednesday lauded the “responsible stances voiced by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal concerning the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and the need that the Lebanese deal with it rationally and calmly.”

In a statement he issued, Jumblat noted that al-Faisal’s stances match his own position on the STL, which stresses “the importance of justice and stability in Lebanon.”

“This Saudi stance is in line with several previous stances the kingdom had voiced on many occasions, with which it had demonstrated its support for Lebanon and refusal that it be dragged into tensions and sedition,” the Druze leader added, hoping “this advanced stance will represent a motive for all Lebanese political forces to … tackle the issue of the STL reasonably and responsibly.”

Jumblat called for re-launching national dialogue, describing it as “the only path for addressing all the unsettled issues.”

On the other hand, the Druze leader voiced support for the Saudi foreign minister’s position on “the developments in Syria and the need to prioritize the political approach over the security approach, in order to launch the process of serious dialogue and political and economic reform to lay the groundwork for a new phase and a new Syria.”

Jumblat also lauded “the important Saudi remarks on the kingdom of Bahrain, because they confirm that Saudi Arabia is playing a role in helping this country overcome its crisis through a national dialogue that leads to adopting broad political reforms and meeting the legitimate demands, away from the atmospheres of sectarian tension.”

“There is no doubt that Minister al-Faisal’s stance on Saudi-Iranian dialogue is also important,” Jumblat said, adding that a possible Saudi-Iranian rapprochement is “the only way for finding solutions to many of the problems the region is going through.”

On Tuesday the Saudi minister called on all parties in Lebanon to “deal with the Special Tribunal for Lebanon’s indictment calmly and rationally, away from tensions, and to avoid any escalation.”

In a joint press conference with his British counterpart William Hague in the Saudi port city of Jeddah, al-Faisal urged the Lebanese to “work on fulfilling justice and to resort to reason,” hoping the release of the indictment will not affect stability in Lebanon.

“Everyone voted in favor of establishing the tribunal, including the political groups opposing the outcome of the tribunal at the moment,” the Saudi top diplomat noted.