Lebanon’s Interior Minister in the caretaker government Nohad Al-Machnouk described his recent visit to Saudi Arabia as successful, praising the Saudi stance on Lebanon and expecting a breakthrough in bilateral relations after the formation of the new government.
In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Machnouk said: “Saudi Arabia, by its religious, economic and political nature, is a leading country in the region, and I always consider that the balance in the region, especially in light of this Iranian expansion, should be based on a solid Saudi-Egyptian alliance, because each country possesses elements of strength.”
He added that the Kingdom was waiting for the formation of the new Lebanese government to revive the Higher Ministerial Committee headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Lebanese side prime minister.
Underlining the need for Lebanese parties to commit to the policy of dissociation, Machnouk said: “Lebanon is a liberal country and the level of freedoms is high, but this should not be a pretext for practices, actions, and statements that threaten Lebanon’s relations with its Arab surroundings and its responsibilities towards the constants of Arabism.”
Asked about the Yemeni government’s complaints about Hezbollah’s interference in Yemen, the interior minister said: “This is a new development, but all people know that this is true. The Yemeni government itself has published identity cards and information about Lebanese individuals, advisers, fighters or experts in the manufacture or installation of missiles.”
“I think that the Yemeni position is normal, because it is no longer acceptable, after all these international developments, that Hezbollah remains an outlet for Iranian policy in the region and does not expect international resolutions to be taken against it at the same time,” he added.
Back to the Lebanese arena, Machnouk commented on the delay in forming a new government, saying: “The criteria for forming the government since the first day have been wrong, because they were based on numerical rules, such as those on the calculator or the tailor's pipe, which I call the Bassil tailor's pipe (in reference to Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil).
“The government should be formed based on constitutional principles and the Lebanese consensual system… not just on numerical standards,” he stressed.
The interior minister noted that the delay in forming the new government was mainly due to early talks on the presidency and ambitions for political inheritance.
“I think that the main flaw that delays the formation of the government is that the battle for presidency stared early, accompanied by ambitions for political inheritance,” he stated.
Asked about the relations between the Future Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement, Machnouk said: “The harmonious relationship between the Future Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement has turned into an understanding with limited headlines and a narrow horizon.”
