(Dubai) The United Arab Emirates on Saturday recalled its diplomats in Beirut, the fourth Arab Gulf monarchy to take retaliatory measures against Lebanon after remarks by a Lebanese minister criticizing Saudi Arabia’s intervention in the war in Yemen.
This serious crisis comes as the government of Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati was banking on potential financial aid from the wealthy Gulf monarchies to revive the economy of the collapsing country.
Mr Mikati stood out from the words of Information Minister George Kordahi, appointed to the government by a Christian party allied with the pro-Iranian movement Hezbollah, a heavyweight in Lebanese politics, and implicitly called on him to resign.
For experts, the crisis goes beyond what the minister said and reflects a struggle for influence between Shia Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia, of which Lebanon is paying a heavy price.
After Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates announced the withdrawal of their diplomats from Lebanon in “solidarity” with Saudi Arabia. They further banned Emirati citizens from traveling to Lebanon.
Kuwait announced the same day the recall of its Lebanese ambassador and the departure of the Lebanese charge d’affaires within 48 hours.
He explained his decision by the “failure” of the Lebanese government to “respond to the unacceptable and reprehensible remarks made against Saudi Arabia and the rest of the (six countries) of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)”.
Qatar condemns
Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese work in the countries forming the GCC – Saudi Arabia, Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.
Qatar condemned Mr. Kordahi’s “irresponsible” remarks, but it did not take retaliatory measures, only calling on the Lebanese government to act “to overcome the dissension between [pays] brothers “.
In quarrel for three years, Qatar and Saudi Arabia resumed at the beginning of the year. Riyadh had, among other things, criticized Doha for drawing closer to Shiite Iran, the great rival of Sunni Saudi Arabia.
And Oman called on different parties to work “to avoid escalation and settle disputes through dialogue.”
In a television program dated August 5 and broadcast on Monday, Mr. Kordahi, who was not yet a minister, described the intervention of the Riyadh-led military coalition in the war in Yemen opposing since 2014 as “absurd”. power and rebels. He said the insurgents were defending themselves “against external aggression”.
Intervened in 2015 in Yemen, this coalition in which the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also participate, supports the power in the face of rebels supported by Iran, which has always denied accusations that it provides arms to the Houthis.
Leader of the GCC, the Saudi kingdom was the first to recall its ambassador to Lebanon on Friday and to decide on the expulsion of the Lebanese ambassador. He also decided to stop all Lebanese imports.
“There is no crisis with Lebanon, but a crisis in Lebanon due to Iranian hegemony,” Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal ben Farhan told Al-Arabiya television channel on Saturday. “The dominance of Hezbollah over the political system in Lebanon worries us. ”
Bahrain has also decided to expel the Lebanese ambassador.
“Deep regret”
After the outcry, Kordahi said his words reflected his “personal opinion” before his appointment as Minister of Information. But he refused to apologize.
Mr. Mikati said “deeply regret” Riyadh’s decision, saying that Mr. Kordahi’s words “do not in any way reflect the position of the government”.
But Hezbollah, Iran’s staunch ally, has said it opposes any resignations.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, said he was “anxious to have the best relations with sister Saudi Arabia”, criticizing those “who cause crises between the two countries”.
In May, the Lebanese foreign minister of the previous government, Charbel Wehbé, had to resign after calling the Gulf countries “Bedouin” and accusing them of links with the jihadist group Islamic State.
After the meeting in Beirut of a crisis cell formed by Mr. Mikati in the presence of the number two of the American embassy, Richard Michaels, the Minister of Education Abbas Halabi declared that he was “hopeful” to settle the crisis with the Gulf monarchies.