The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, expressed his deep concern and regret at the rapid deterioration in Lebanese-Gulf relations, calling on the Gulf states to reconsider their measures to avoid negative effects on the Lebanese economy.

An official source in the General Secretariat of the League stated that the crisis caused by previous statements by the Lebanese Minister of Information, George Kordahi, and the subsequent events and positions, should have been dealt with by the Lebanese in a way that defuses it and does not stoke its fire, as happened.

The source added that these statements and stances led to a major setback in Lebanon's relations with its Arab environment in general and the Gulf region in particular.

He stressed that the Secretary-General has confidence in the wisdom and ability of Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati to seek quickly in order to take the necessary steps that can put an end to the deterioration of those relations, and contribute to calming the atmosphere in particular with Saudi Arabia and healing the rift caused by "positions of parties wishing to It has an interest in dismantling the bonds of brotherhood that bind Lebanon and its Arab people to its brethren in the Gulf and Arab countries."

The Secretary-General also appealed to officials in the Gulf states to reflect on the measures proposed to be taken in the midst of that situation;

In order to avoid further negative effects on the collapsing Lebanese economy and the citizen who is living in extremely difficult conditions.

Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have requested the departure of their Lebanese ambassadors (Shutterstock)

Protest and summon ambassadors

Saudi Arabia had summoned its ambassador to Lebanon in protest against the statements of the Lebanese Minister of Information in which he defended the Houthis, and also asked the Lebanese ambassador to leave within the next 48 hours.

And the Saudi Press Agency said - yesterday evening, Friday - that the Kingdom's government decided to summon the Saudi ambassador in Beirut for consultation, and asked the Lebanese ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours, and also announced the suspension of all Lebanese imports to the Kingdom, in the context of the crisis raised by Qardahi's statements.

The Saudi government expressed its regret "for the outcome of relations with the Lebanese Republic, due to the Lebanese authorities' ignoring of the facts and their continued failure to take corrective measures that ensure the observance of the relations that the Kingdom has long been keen on."

In the same context, the Bahraini Foreign Ministry asked the Lebanese ambassador to leave the country within 48 hours, against the background of a series of "rejected and offensive" statements and positions issued by Lebanese officials recently, according to the agency.

On the other hand, a statement issued by the Presidency of the Lebanese Government said;

"Prime Minister Najib Mikati asked Minister of Information George Kordahi to appreciate the national interest and take the appropriate decision to reform Lebanon's Arab relations."

Mikati expressed his regret at Saudi Arabia's decision to withdraw its ambassador in Beirut and its request to leave the Lebanese ambassador, expressing his hope that Riyadh would reconsider it, and stressed his strong rejection of everything that harms brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia.

He appealed to Arab leaders to work and help overcome this crisis in order to preserve Arab cohesion.


Qardahi's statements

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE protested the statements made by the Lebanese Minister of Information regarding the war in Yemen.

Qardahi described the war in Yemen as absurd, and said that it must stop, and saw that what the Houthis are doing is self-defense, in statements he made in an episode of the "Parliament of the People" program broadcast last Monday.

In the wake of the controversy sparked by his statements, Qardahi said that no one should dictate to the Lebanese what to do about whether or not a minister remains in the government, adding that he is part of an integrated government and cannot take a decision to resign on his own.

Qardahi pointed out that his interview, which sparked controversy, was filmed on the fifth of last August, weeks before his appointment as a minister, stressing that his positions in that interview towards Syria, Palestine and the Gulf are personal opinions, and do not bind the government.

He said that I did not mean "in any way to offend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia or the Emirates, whose leadership and people I have so much love and loyalty to."

Hezbollah's position

As for the Lebanese Hezbollah, it condemned in a statement what it described as the "unjust" campaign led by Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the Gulf Cooperation Council against Minister of Information George Kordahi, against the background of his positions on the Yemen war.

The party announced its rejection of any call to dismiss Qardahi or push him to resign, considering these calls a blatant attack on Lebanon, according to the statement.