Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil Tuesday received a copy of the credentials of the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, local media reported.
Walid al-Yaacoub, appointed to the post by Riyadh in late September 2017, will replace Saudi Charge d’Affaires Walid Bukhari, who had served as acting head of mission since former Ambassador Ali Awad Asiri’s term ended in August 2016.
Yaacoub personally presented a copy of his credentials to Bassil, local media said. The ambassador told MTV he had received an appointment set for Wednesday to officially give his credentials to President Michel Aoun.
Yaacoub, who most recently served as an assistant to Saudi Minister of State for Arab Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan, added that “relations with Lebanon are always good.”
"The delay in the receipt of the credentials came as a result of the delay in accepting the papers of the ambassador of Lebanon in Saudi Arabia," a Foreign Ministry source told local news channel Al-Jadeed. "Lebanon supports having the best relations with Saudi Arabia, and there is consensus not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Arab countries."
The Saudi government informed the Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Dec. 28, 2017, that it would accept Beirut’s appointment for the post.
The Foreign Ministry was told that the delay in the approval of Fawzi Kabbara for this diplomatic role was due to administrative rather than political reasons, several local media outlets reported.
Kabbara, a member of the Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s Future Movement party, was named for the post in late July, but was unaccredited until this week.
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This article has been adapted from its original source.
