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Saudi Warning to Citizens Based on Threats Received by Embassy in Beirut

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Written by News Editor

Monday, 03 March 2008

Saudi Arabia's warning to its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately was based on threats received by its embassy in Beirut, Saudi ambassador Abdel Aziz Khoja said. "We have received information on dozens of threats and these threats are continuing," Khoja said on LBC television late Sunday. He did not give further details. Khoja said he had "encouraged families of diplomats to leave Lebanon" and some of them had already done so. "The Saudis have specific reasons. They have received specific threats," Lebanon's acting Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri told LBC earlier, also without elaborating. Lebanese and Saudi officials on Saturday said Saudi Arabia was advising its citizens to leave Lebanon immediately or exercise extreme caution because of heightened political unrest. A Saudi diplomatic source said the car of a Saudi diplomat was hit by gunfire on Friday night in Beirut, but the occupants of the car escaped unharmed. The incident occurred as supporters of opposition Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri fired into the air to celebrate a television interview that he was giving, the source said. Several Saudi nationals in Lebanon on Saturday also reported receiving calls or mobile text messages (sms) from their embassy, urging them to leave the country. One Saudi citizen said he was told by the embassy that women and children in particular were advised to leave within 48 hours. Last month Saudi Arabia had advised its citizens against traveling to Lebanon and in August 2007 threats against the embassy had forced Khoja to leave the country, although he later returned. Khoja had been involved in efforts to broker an end to the political rift between the ruling parliamentary majority and the Hizbullah-led opposition, backed by Syria and Iran. Fears of civil strife have mounted over a political crisis that has left Lebanon without a president since November and warnings of wider conflict after the February 12 killing in Syria of top Hizbullah commander Imad Mughniyeh. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal warned last month that the country was "on the verge of civil war." Tensions have also risen in the past weeks as the Arab League, which is mediating a solution to the Lebanon crisis, has been trying to organize an annual Arab summit due to be hosted in Syria March 29-30. A decision by Washington to send the USS Cole guided-missile destroyer to waters off Lebanon amid concerns of regional stability has also added to the tensions and triggered criticism by the two feuding camps in Lebanon. "The Americans have tried to show their strength. We were not consulted and we will not explain their decision but we refuse to allow Lebanon to be an arena to solve regional differences," Mitri said. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on Saturday said the U.S. deployment was an attempt to undermine a solution to Lebanon's presidential crisis.(AFP-Naharnet)

 

 

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