Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri stressed Monday that “Lebanon is committed to all the Saudi-led causes” as visiting Saudi envoy Prince Khaled al-Faisal announced that Lebanon should not be “an arena for Arab discord.”
“All the conferees here tonight have come to confirm that no one can harm Lebanon’s ties with Saudi Arabia,” said Hariri at a dinner banquet he threw at the Center House in honor of al-Faisal and the Saudi delegation.
The banquet was attended by ex-presidents Michel Suleiman and Amin Gemayel, a representative of Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker PM Tammam Salam, ex-PMs Najib Miqati and Fouad Saniora, caretaker Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat, Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, Kataeb Party head Sami Gemayel, a number of MPs and ministers, and representatives of the spiritual leaders.
“Your presence here confirms the kingdom’s commitment to its brotherly ties with all Lebanese,” Hariri added, addressing al-Faisal.
“The timing of your visit on the eve of Independence Day highlights the kingdom’s keenness on Lebanon’s independence, sovereignty and prosperity,” he said.
“Lebanon, which is keen on its Arab identity, is committed to all the Saudi-led causes, from the issue of regaining all Arab rights to combating all forms of extremism and terrorism,” Hariri went on to say.
Al-Faisal for his part stressed that the kingdom wants Lebanon to be “a place for Arab accord, not an arena for Arab discord.”
The senior Saudi delegation had held talks earlier in the day with President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
