Lebanon’s Aoun: ‘Ties with Saudi Arabia on the mend’

Lebanese president Michel Aoun said Saudi tourists would soon return to Lebanon.

Lebanese president Michel Aoun, left, discusses relations with King Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Press Agency via AP

RIYADH // Lebanese president General Michel Aoun said Beirut’s relations with Saudi Arabia were recovering, a day after he held talks with King Salman to repair ties after a falling-out between the two countries last year.

Saudi Arabia cancelled US$4 billion in military aid and downgraded ties with Lebanon in February last year, blaming Hizbollah’s domination of the country when the government failed to join other Arab states in condemning attacks by Iranian demonstrators on Saudi missions in Iran.

It has also warned Saudi nationals to stay away from Lebanon, depriving the country of vital tourism revenue.

Gen Aoun, on paper an ally of Hizbollah, told the Saudi-owned Asharq Al Awsat in an interview published on Wednesday that Saudi tourists would soon return to Lebanon.

Asked if his visit had turned a new page in relations with Saudi Arabia, Gen Aoun said: “Yes. When this transient era clears, we will be certain that it had no roots from the Lebanese people’s side.”

“It is obvious that ties should be normal, regardless of any differences that may arise, or that may have arisen in the past, in relation to the Syrian file,” he added, referring to Hizbollah’s involvement the civil war in neighbouring Syria.

The dispute has also cast a shadow on hundreds of thousands of Lebanese nationals living and working in Saudi Arabia and other GCC states, who transfer between $7 and $8 billion each year in remittances.

Asked about the fate of Saudi aid to the Lebanese army, Gen Aoun said: “This issue will be discussed by the defence ministers of the two countries.”

Gen Aoun, who was in Qatar on Wednesday on the second leg of his first trip abroad since he was elected in October, said Saudi Arabia has already decided to allow tourists back to Lebanon, and that details were being worked out between experts from both sides.

In talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Lebanese delegation will discuss making the issuance of work visas for Lebanese easier.

Gen Aoun was also expected to discuss possible Qatari help to free nine kidnapped Lebanese army soldiers believed to be held by ISIL militants.

* Reuters