Saudi halts $3 bn in aid to Lebanon army/Lebanese PM urges Saudi to unfreeze military aid

Lebanese PM urges Saudi to unfreeze military aid
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 19 February 2016/Lebanon’s Prime Minister Tammam Salam on Friday urged Saudi Arabia to “reconsider” the suspension of a $3 billion aid package to its army to buy French arms.“We express our deep appreciation for King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his brothers in the Saudi leadership … and we hope for a reconsideration of the decision to halt the aid for our army and security forces,” the premier said in a statement. Two prominent political leaders also commented on Saudi Arabia’s decision to halt its aid to the Lebanese army and security forces. Future movement chief Saad Hariri and Samir Geagea, the leader of Christian political party called Lebanese Forces, said they held Hezbollah responsible for “losing billions of dollars” as a result of its long state of enmity towards Saudi. Geagea said in a message on Twitter that the government should instantly convene to take action. The Christian political leader said that Beirut should either officially asking Hezbollah to desist from attacking the kingdom, or to dispatch an official delegation to ask Saudi Arabia to unfreeze its aid.

Saudi halts $3 bn in aid to Lebanon army
Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Friday, 19 February 2016/Saudi Arabia said Friday it has stopped a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group fighting in support of Syria’s regime. In response, Lebanon’s PM Tammam Salam urged Saudi to reconsider the suspension of the package.In light of positions taken by Hezbollah the kingdom proceeded to “a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic”, an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier. The kingdom’s loyal Gulf allies, the UAE and Bahrain, expressed support for Saudi’s decision. Saudi added that the remainder of a $1 billion financing package for Lebanese security forces had been suspended, in a separate decision. The $3 billion program financed military equipment provided by France. Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against miliatnt threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles.Alleged leaders of Lebanon-based Hezbollah are under sanction by Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah is supported by Iran. Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran last month after demonstrators stormed its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a Saudi Shiite.In the statement, the Saudi official said Riyadh had always stood with Lebanon and supported the country through difficult times. “Despite these honourable stands, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia had been met with Lebanese stands that are against it on Arab, regional and international arenas, in the shadow of the confiscation of the will of the state by the so-called Lebanese Hezbollah,” the statement said. Hezbollah is the Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim group that wields major power in Lebanon. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia is the arch-regional rival of Shi’ite Iran. The SPA statement said Lebanon, at recent meetings of the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference, had failed to condemn “the blatant aggression on the kingdom’s embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad,” last month.
It was referring to an attack by Iranian demonstrators protesting over the execution by Riyadh of a Saudi Shiite convicted of incitement to violence.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran over the attacks on its missions.
(With AFP)