Statements by Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe that Gulf countries were complicit in funding the ISIS terrorist group drew widespread condemnation in Lebanon.
The presidency statement and the minister’s apology, in which he said his remarks were made out of anger, did little to ease the uproar.
Asharq Al-Awsat learned that several representatives of parliamentary blocs will visit the Saudi embassy in Beirut to express their solidarity with the Kingdom and denounce Wehbe.
Head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Jumblatt telephoned Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon, Waleed Bukhari, to condemn the minister’s “offensive and irresponsible” comments.
Such remarks in no way reflect the depth of the fraternal historic ties that bind the Lebanese people to the Arab Gulf, he added, while expressing his solidarity with the Kingdom, its leadership and people.
The presidency distanced itself from Wehbe’s remarks, saying they do not reflect official policy. However, it did little to ease the tension when it said that the reactions to his insulting comments “were aimed at harming the fraternal relations between Lebanon and the Gulf.”
Wehbe eventually apologized for his televised remarks, saying he meant no offense and that he had uttered them in an angry outburst.
Caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab contacted Wehbe to clarify his statements, while also stressing his keenness on maintaining the best relations with Saudi Arabia, the Gulf and all brotherly and friendly countries.
“These countries have always stood by Lebanon,” he added, saying he was “confident they will not abandon it today.”
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri slammed Wehbe’s remarks, saying it was “another damaging act” committed by the current term of President Michel Aoun against Lebanon’s ties with Arab countries.
“As if the crises that the country is drowning in and the boycott it is suffering from are not enough,” he said.
“Wehbe’s comments are as far removed as possible from diplomacy and they are just another example of recklessness in foreign policy that the foreign ministers of the presidential term have adopted and that have resulted in the severest of consequences on Lebanon and its people abroad,” he added.
He statements may represent the position of certain figures in power, but they certainly do not represent the majority of the Lebanese people, who are seeking to mend ties with the Gulf and refuse to become involved in the heinous tarnishing of relations, he went on to say.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abullatif Derian slammed Wehbe’s comments, urging him to retract them. “Whoever offends the Kingdom and other Gulf countries is primarily harming Lebanon. How can fraternal relations be built with insults?”
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea denounced Wehbe, saying: “He was supposed to be the foreign minister of Lebanon and the Lebanese, but he has now ended up being the foreign minister of Hezbollah.”
Moreover, he pointed out that Iran and the Syrian regime were the ones who brought about the emergence of ISIS.
The Saudi and Islamic leaderships are the primary enemies of ISIS and other similar extremist groups, he noted.
“Wehbe has committed a crime against Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” made worse by the current crippling crisis the country is enduring, Geagea remarked, suggesting that Aoun and Diab should dismiss the minister.
