Environment Minister Meets Saudi FM: Kingdom's Measures against Lebanon Didn't Target Govt.

Environment Minister Mohammed al-Mashnouq held talks on Monday with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Lebanese-Saudi bilateral ties in wake of the kingdom's halt of a grant to Lebanese army.

The minister's office said in a statement: “The measures that Riyadh took did not target the Lebanese government.”

The two officials met in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on the outskirts of an extraordinary Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit on Palestine.

“The kingdom appreciates the stances taken by Prime Minister Tammam Salam,” added Mashnouq's statement.

The minister exited the nearly hour-long meeting with Jubeir with an “impression that there will be no escalation” by the kingdom against Lebanon.

“The tensions between the two sides are now behind us,” said the statement.

Riyadh halted a grant to the army in protest against Hizbullah's virulent criticism of the kingdom and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil's abstention from voting in favor of Arab League resolutions condemning attacks against the Saudi embassy in Iran in January.

It also issued a travel advisory against Lebanon, a measure that was soon adopted by Gulf states.

M.T.

D.A.