In a telephone conversation with Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed on Saturday that the Lebanese government respects the sovereignty of all countries and specially the Arabian Gulf states.
“The government doesn’t interfere in the internal affairs of other Arab states and considers all the political rhetoric expresses the opinion of those who say them,” Mikati told Mansour.
Mansour was briefing the PM on the protest by several gulf states over recent statements issued by Lebanese politicians.
The premier pointed out that the Lebanese policy is in line with the Baabda declaration :
“The Baabda Declaration clearly states on disassociating Lebanon from the international and regional developments and safeguarding it from any negative repercussions,” Mikati said
Bahrain on Friday, summoned the Lebanese charge d’affaires at the Lebanese Embassy Ibrahim Assaf over remarks made by Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun earlier this week, which Bahrain considered “irresponsible meddling in its internal affairs.”
Aoun had told al-Alam last Wednesday that the demands of the protesters in Bahrain are “fair and justified.”
He criticized the Arab League and international community for failing to support the protests in Bahrain.
Aoun added: “It’s unfortunate that a peaceful revolution, which has been oppressed and going on for three years, has not been recognized enough by the world.”
Aoun is closely associated with Hezbollah militant group which has been supporting the uprising against the monarchy in Bahrain.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah saluted the Bahraini revolution on Saturday during a televised speech
Bahrain’s Information Minister Samira Rajab accused Hezbollah on Saturday, of “extremism” and “terrorism,” describing it as a “terrorist militia.”
Ties between Lebanon and Bahrain reached an all-time low in 2011 when Nasrallah slammed the crackdown on the protesters.
His remarks prompted the Bahraini authorities to suspend the flights of Gulf Air and Bahraini Air between Manama and Beirut for several months.
Aoun on Saturday dismissed Bahrain’s criticism by saying: “We have our own free opinion and enjoy freedom of speech.”
He told al-Mada Radio on Saturday: “We support the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Bahrain would incur a lot of criticism if it does not abide by it.”
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