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Saudi FM: Iranian Support For Lebanon Coup Will Negatively Impact Relations With Arab Countries; Iranian Daily: Saudis Planning Coup In Lebanon; Syrian Dailies Criticize Saudis
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Sa'ud Al-Faisal told a May 13 press conference in Riyadh that if Iran did indeed support a coup in Lebanon, it would negatively impact its relations with all Arab countries, and perhaps also with Muslim countries, and not only with Saudi Arabia. He said that the events in Lebanon were the result of a plan cooked up in advance, not the result of Hizbullah's reaction to decisions by Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Al-Siniora. In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused Al-Faisal of acting against the opinion of Saudi King Abdallah. The Iranian daily Jomhouri-e Eslami stated, "Today is the day of the deposing of the Al-Sa'ud family, and the day they are exposed as those who, in the guise of friendship and brotherhood, are in fact acting in the service of Israel, America, and the enemies of Islam." The paper also accused the Saudis of scheming to carry out a coup in Lebanon. Sources: Jomhouri-e Eslami, Iran, May 14, 2008; Al-Watan, Saudi Arabia, May 14, 2008; Tabnak, Iran, May 13, 2008 Editorials in Syrian dailies harshly criticized Saudi Arabia following Saudi Foreign Minister Sa'ud Al-Faisal's statements. The Syrian daily Al-Watan's editor Wadhah Abd Raba wrote, "The time has come for Saudi Arabia to return to the fold of the Arab world and to stop funding and arming every element that declares enmity to the Arab resistance movements." The Syrian government daily Teshreen wrote that Al-Faisal's demand "to honor Lebanon's sovereignty and not to interfere in its domestic affairs must apply to all forces in the region, headed by Saudi Arabia." Sources: Al-Watan, Teshreen, Syria, May 14, 2008
Posted at: 2008-05-14
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