On Monday, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib stated that his country is ready to resolve the current diplomatic crisis with the Gulf states, triggered by Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi’s comments about Saudi Arabia’s military campaign in Yemen.
The Lebanese foreign minister said it is a tradition for Lebanon to maintain friendly ties with the Gulf countries, while speaking at a news conference in Moscow following a meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Bou Habib stated that the current crisis with the Gulf countries can be resolved through dialogue, while calling the situation arising out of Kordahi’s critical comments “exaggerated.”
Before he took his post in the new Lebanese government, the emergence of statements made by Kordahi on the Yemeni conflict caused a strain in relations between Gulf nations and Lebanon.
In a televised interview, when asked if he “thinks that the Houthis, like Hezbollah, are defending their land as an armed organization,” Kordahi responded that the Houthis are defending themselves. “My personal opinion is that this war in Yemen needs to end. Houses, buildings, villages, and cities are being attacked by fighter jets,” he added.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, and Bahrain recalled their ambassadors from Lebanon, in reaction to the emergence of the critical comments.
In response, Kordahi said he is ready to resign “if there are guarantees that the Gulf countries will change their position towards Lebanon.”
