Beirut-Sana
The Lebanese Minister of Culture, Muhammad Al-Murtada, called for approaching the current crisis with the Saudi regime in a principled and uncompromising manner that includes harmonizing Lebanon's sovereignty and dignity and strengthening relations with its brothers, denying the issuance of any hostile position by the Lebanese state towards the Gulf states, and questioning the reason that "justifies prejudice against Lebanon."
Al-Murtada said in a statement today, reported by the Lebanese National News Agency, that "all the serious data indicate that this crisis is nothing in its depth but a reaction to developments in the region that have repercussions and major strategic repercussions... and that the quest during the past month was focused on fabricating a major crisis in Lebanon as a prelude." To negotiate on its basis and to barter between it and a crisis that exists elsewhere,” asking “where is the valid and convincing reason that justifies prejudice against Lebanon and exploding this crisis in its face and bearing its burden and its repercussions.”
Al-Murtada stressed that "the crisis is not the result of a statement issued earlier to form the government... and it would have occurred in all cases, even if this statement was not issued by its owner or came out into the open."
The Lebanese minister considered that “the sensitivity of the issue, the accuracy of the situation, national responsibility, and concern for Arab brotherhood impose on the Lebanese state to approach the crisis in a principled manner that does not compromise or maneuver, but rather harmonizes two matters that do not contradict each other, first, Lebanon’s sovereignty, pride and dignity, and the consequent categorical rejection of all attempts Belittling him and imposing dictates on him, and secondly, the sincere intention of the Lebanese state to arrange the strongest relations with the brotherly Arab countries.
It is noteworthy that the Saudi regime decided last Friday to recall its ambassador in Lebanon for consultations and asked the Lebanese ambassador in Riyadh to leave within 48 hours, protesting against old statements made by the Lebanese Minister of Information, George Qardahi, before assigning him to his position, in which he demanded to stop the war waged by the Saudi regime on Yemen, describing it as aggression.
