Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi
On October 29th, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Lebanon and gave the Lebanese ambassador 48 hours to leave the Kingdom.
The Kingdom ordered the immediate ban to all Lebanese imports, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday. Saudi citizens were also banned from traveling to Lebanon.
The same day, the Kingdom of Bahrain followed the Saudi example and ordered the Lebanese ambassador to leave the country within two days.
The diplomatic conflict followed the footage that emerged earlier this week and showed a Lebanese minister criticizing the Saudi Arabia-led coalition’s war in Yemen.
During his interview that he did in early August, a month before joining the government, Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi claimed that the Houthis (as Ansar Allah are known) are “defending themselves … against an external aggression”, calling to end the “futile” long-running war.
The Kordahi’s claims angered Riyadh, which was supported by other countries in the Riyadh-led military coalition. Alongside Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain summoned their ambassadors over the past three days.
In its turn, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also condemned Kordahi’s statements.
According to the Lebanese channel MTV, the GCC member-states may soon announce economic and political sanctions against Beirut.
At a press conference in Beirut this week, Kordahi noted that his statements were made before he became a minister. The minister said his comments were a personal opinion, and stressed out that he was not blackmailed by any entity.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati “regretted” the Saudi moves. the officials claimed that Kordahi’s comments do not reflect the Lebanese government’s position.
“It is true that we disassociate from conflicts, but we don’t disassociate ourselves from any position that is in solidarity with Saudi Arabia or the Gulf countries,” Mikati said.
Following the Riyadh’s diplomatic moves, on October 30, Lebanese Prime Minister has asked for the resignation of Information Minister Georg Kordahi.
The diplomatic scandal hit Lebanon amid the ongoing political crisis, which had sharply escalated since mid-October.
The formation of a new government in September raised hopes for an end to the political crisis, that should be followed by stabilization of the country’s economy, and then a gradual improvement in the situation. However, recent developments in Lebanon have revealed that the deep split between the various political forces remains and prevents the local authorities to develop a nationwide course to overcome the crisis. The Hezbollah’s attempts to dominate the politics of the country have provoked fierce resistance from forces associated with the West and the monarchies of the Persian Gulf.
The diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia is yet another obstacle for the stabilization in Lebanon, as well as a factor of influence on a possible normalization of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
