Saad Hariri attacks 'flagrant Iranian intervention' in Middle East

Lenanese caretaker prime minister accused Tehran of trying to turn Lebanon and other Arab states into "Iranian protectorates".

BEIRUT // Lebanon's soon-to-depart prime minister, Saad Hariri, yesterday criticised what he described as "flagrant Iranian intervention" in countries across the region including Lebanon, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Mr Hariri accused Tehran of trying to turn Lebanon and other Arab states into "Iranian protectorates".

"We say with all sincerity and responsibility that this Iranian policy is not acceptable anymore and that the gradual abduction of the Arab societies under any slogan will not be in the interest of Iran or the Arab-Iranian relations," he said during a forum held in the Lebanese capital promoting ties between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.

Mr Hariri's comments come after claims by the US secretary of defence, Robert Gates, that Washington has evidence of Iranian meddling in Bahrain and other countries in the region. A report published in the The Wall Street Journal yesterday said Mr Gates did not elaborate as to exactly what kind of proof the US was in possession of to support the alleged interference.

"We already have evidence that the Iranians are trying to exploit the situation in Bahrain, and we also have evidence that they are talking about what they can do to try and create problems elsewhere as well," Mr Gates told reporters during a stop in Riyadh on Wednesday.

With political turmoil continuing to sweep across the Arab world, regional power-brokers have focused attention on the crisis in Bahrain.

After the Sunni-led Bahraini government violently quelled a pro-democracy movement, it has claimed that Iran was involved in the demonstrations that started in mid-February.

However, the main opposition groups have strenuously denied any outside interference, including from Iran, has been involved in their demands for political reforms on the island.

Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmed al Khalifa, Bahrain's foreign minister, claimed last week that the Lebanese Shia movement Hizbollah had provided military training to protest groups in Bahrain, allegations that were denied by the group.

However, Tehran has also sought to take political and diplomatic advantage of the unrest in Bahrain and upheavals elsewhere in the Arab world, issuing denunciations of the actions of the US and its allies in the region.

Iran criticised in particular the deployment of Saudi-led Gulf Cooperation Council troops in Bahrain last month.

Tehran alleged that Saudi Arabia had used Bahrain's call for military support from its neighbours as a "pretext for intervention" and asked regional countries to join it in calling for the troops to withdraw from the island kingdom.

In response, GCC foreign ministers meeting last Sunday "severely condemned Iranian interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain", according to a statement released after the gathering.

During his speech yesterday, Mr Hariri stressed strong relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, particularly in light of the change sweeping the Arab world, describing the kingdom as the "largest investor in the stability of Lebanon".

"On the other hand, there are states and regional powers that invest in chaos, and export various means of political, civil and security turmoil in order to destroy the unity of our Arab societies," he said. "It is well known that Israel is the largest investor in the regional chaos, and in causing violence and unrest in different directions...This is regarding the enemy, but what about the friends? No one has the right to export chaos to the Lebanese territories and the Arab countries."

In his role as Lebanese prime minister, last year Mr Hariri hosted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during a visit to Lebanon. However, he has become increasingly critical of Tehran since his cabinet collapsed in January after the resignation of Hizbollah and its allies. The country remains without a new government, as Nejib Mikati, the prime minister designate, continues to struggle to form a cabinet.