Saudi Arabia is optimistic about reforms in Lebanon, Saudi foreign minister says in Beirut Reuters
DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia will continue to support Lebanon and is optimistic about the country’s future after a ceasefire ended the war between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, the kingdom’s foreign minister said in Beirut.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud told reporters he stressed the importance of reforms in his meeting with newly elected Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in the first trip to Beirut by Riyadh’s top diplomat in 15 years.
“I expressed to him that we believe in the importance of the reforms he presented so that Lebanon can overcome its crisis,” Prince Faisal said.
The visit reflects seismic political shifts in Lebanon since Israel battered Hezbollah in last year’s war and since rebels ousted Hezbollah’s Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad in December.
“The kingdom looks to Lebanon’s future with optimism under the reformist approach that emerged in the president’s speech after his inauguration.”
“These reforms will strengthen the confidence of Lebanon’s partners and open space for the country to regain its rightful place in the Arab and international sphere,” he added.
Aoun said he would work to ensure that the state has the exclusive right to bear arms, comments that were seen in part as a reference to Hezbollah’s arsenal, as well as to establish better relations with Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia once spent billions in Lebanon, depositing funds in the central bank, helping to rebuild the south after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
