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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Lebanon Must Not Be Platform for Hostility, Kuwaiti FM Says

Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah gestures after meeting with Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati in Beirut, Lebanon January 22, 2022. (Reuters)

Kuwait's foreign minister said on Sunday Lebanon must not be a platform for hostile acts or words toward Gulf Arab states.

Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah spoke after meeting President Michel Aoun in Beirut, during the first visit to Beirut by a senior Gulf Arab official since a diplomatic rift last year.

Sheikh Ahmad said on Saturday he had delivered confidence-building proposals to Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and that his trip was coordinated with Gulf states.

"We asked that Lebanon not be a platform for any aggression - verbal or actual," Sheikh Ahmad said after meeting Aoun.

"I presented ideas and thoughts ... And we are awaiting a response," he added.

Lebanon's ties have long been strained by the influence of Hezbollah, and were plunged into a new crisis in October by offensive comments by a since resigned Lebanese minister against Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait was one of several members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, that responded to George Kordahi's remarks by expelling the Lebanese ambassador and recalling its envoy to Beirut.

Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, said in a tweet on Sunday Lebanon was keen on maintaining "the best relations" with the Gulf Arab states and that the Kuwaiti proposals would be discussed before an appropriate position was announced.

The GCC had in December called on Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah from carrying out terrorist attacks. It had also called on it to strengthen its army and ensure that the possession of weapons in the country is limited to the state.

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