- Saudi's foreign minister says Hezbollah must disarm for Lebanon to survive
- He said that "Lebanon has been hijacked by Hezbollah"
- Jubeir suggested Hezbollah exploits Lebanese banks
- Meanwhile Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri will reportedly withdraw his resignation
The Saudi foreign minister has said Hezbollah must disarm for Lebanon to survive and prosper.
“Lebanon has been hijacked by Hezbollah and will only survive or prosper if you disarm Hezbollah,” the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said during a conference in Italy.
Jubeir said the “Iranians established Hezbollah, a terrorist organization in Lebanon to serve Iranian interests, not Lebanese interests.”
He added that Iran uses Hezbollah as a proxy in Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen while “Hezbollah uses Lebanese banks to launder money and Lebanese ports to smuggle drugs. That’s how they finance themselves.”
Responding to Jubeir, Association of Lebanese Banks head Joseph Torbey told local station MTV that international authorities consider Lebanon to be a top country in terms of banking sector supervision.
“We have gained international credibility because of the dissociation of our banks from Hezbollah's activities,” Torbey said shortly after Jubeir’s speech.
Meanwhile, Jubeir advocated a firmer international stance against “this terrorist organization if we want to give Lebanon a fighting chance of a better, more prosperous future.”
Speaking about Hariri’s shock resignation announced Nov. 4 from Riyadh then put on hold upon his return to Lebanon on Nov. 21, Jubeir said, “What became clear to them [Hezbollah] is that Mr. Hariri is by far the largest political personality in Lebanon and they need to give him space in order to pursue his policies.”
“We are hoping that this would be the case and that is why he suspended his resignation,” the Saudi official added.
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Separately, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and Prime Minister Saad Hariri were set to meet in Paris to put the final touches on a new agreement that would see the Lebanese premier formally withdraw his resignation. “They are working on a solution and the agreement is almost complete,” a source close to Hariri told The Daily Star.
The source said Hariri would be in Beirut Monday, “when he will meet with President Michel Aoun and Speaker Nabih Berri to prepare for a Cabinet session on Thursday.”
The source said the session would “most likely be held at the Baabda Palace,” and not at the Grand Serail.
Local Lebanese media reported that Bassil and Hariri would meet with French President Emmanuel Macron to brief him on the final deal.
“The points on the agreement are widely known,” the source noted.
The agreement calls on all Lebanese parties, particularly Hezbollah, to comply with the policy of dissociation, commit to the 1989 Taif Accord and abide by the policy of noninterference in the internal affairs of other Arab countries.
It also presses Hezbollah to stop its combative rhetoric against Saudi Arabia, and for the Future Movement and its allies to stop their media campaigns against Syria and Iran, a political source previously told The Daily Star.
This article has been edited by Al Bawaba from its original version
