EU calls to end ‘external interference’ in Lebanon

The EU is calling for an end to external interference in Lebanon, after the country’s prime minister resigned unexpectedly, triggering rumors he was being held against his will in Saudi Arabia.

The EU’s diplomatic chief, Federica Mogherini, says that a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Brussels had voiced unanimous support for Lebanon’s “unity and stability.”

“We expect no external interference in this national agenda and we believe it is essential to avoid importing into Lebanon regional conflicts, regional dynamics, regional tensions that have to stay out of the country,” Mogherini says, adding that she would meet Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil in Brussels tomorrow.

She says outside interference in Lebanon — buffeted for decades by conflicts between bigger players in the region such as Iran and Syria — was a “current and always existing threat.”

Saad Hariri sent shock waves through Lebanon when he unexpectedly quit as prime minister a week ago, though on Sunday he rejected rumours he was under de facto house arrest in Riyadh, insisting he was “free” and would return home soon.

His resignation came as tensions rise between Riyadh and Tehran, which back opposing sides in power struggles from Lebanon and Syria to Yemen.

— AFP