The Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari on Saturday warned of the consequences of a vacuum at the top state post in Lebanon, stressing that the Saudi role in the five-way committee meeting is beneficial for the crisis-hit nation.
Bukhari warned of the “consequences of not holding the presidential elections,” after the term of former president Michel Aoun ended in October.
He assured that “the efforts of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia aim to secure an international safety net for Lebanon to face the challenges and risks, to preserve coexistence and to preserve Lebanon’s message in its Arab and International milieu.”
The Ambassador’s remarks came during a meeting in Maarab with Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea, held in the presence of MP Melhem Riachi.
A statement released by the Lebanese Forces said that Bukhari and Geagea discussions focused on the need to elect a “sovereign, reformist president outside the political lineups, and on the need to fulfill this entitlement.”
The talks have also stressed the Kingdom’s “firm and unchanging position” towards Lebanon, which will also witness a “positive” effect from the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement.
Lebanon “will be affected positively by the Saudi-Iran agreement,” the LF statement said. As for the role of Saudi Arabia in the five-way meeting held last month in France, “it falls in the interest of Lebanon.”
Saudi Arabia last month took part in a meeting over Lebanon hosted by Paris. The panel included representatives from Saudi Arabia, the US, Egypt, Qatar and France.
The LF statement pointed out that the Saudi-Iran agreement included a common way to resolve differences through peaceful and diplomatic communication and dialogue.
It stressed that Saudi Arabia has always extended a hand for cooperation and dialogue with the countries of the region and the world to preserve security and stability in the region.
