Macron announces a French-Saudi initiative to address the crisis between Riyadh and Beirut

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in Jeddah on Saturday, at the conclusion of a short Gulf tour, that he and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati as part of an initiative to resolve the crisis between Riyadh and Beirut.

Before leaving Jeddah, the French president said that the Kingdom and France "want to engage fully" in order to "reconnect the relationship" between the two countries in the wake of the recent diplomatic dispute.

He also wrote in a tweet on Twitter, "With the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we made commitments to Lebanon: work together, support reforms, enable the country to emerge from the crisis and preserve its sovereignty."

In Beirut, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati considered contact with Macron and bin Salman an "important step" for the resumption of Lebanese-Saudi relations.

Mikati wrote in a tweet that the call, announced by Macron during a visit to Jeddah, "is an important step towards reviving the historical brotherly relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."

He affirmed his government's commitment to its commitments to "reform" and thanked the officials "for their keenness on maintaining the friendship towards Lebanon."

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