Beirut - France has shut two of its cultural centres in
Lebanon, due to the fragile security situation in the country, the
French embassy said in a statement Tuesday.
'The French cultural centres, in the southern city of Sidon and in
Tripoli north of Lebanon, were being temporarily shut down,' the
embassy statement said.
'Security of these cultural missions is a priority,' it said.
The French statement followed a warning issued by Saudi Arabia
for its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon because of the 'unstable'
security situation in the country.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) distributed the advisory attributed
to an official source at the foreign ministry who also urged Saudis
living in Lebanon to adopt the 'required precautionary measures' in
their movements.
The move was adopted after some factions of the Hezbollah-led
opposition accused Saudi Arabia of blocking a settlement to the
ongoing political crisis in Lebanon.
It also followed sharp verbal attacks by pro-Syrian figures
against Saudi officials.
The move by Saudi Arabia and France also followed street tensions
in Lebanon in the past three days.
Lebanon's political crisis began in November 2006 when Hezbollah
and its allies, the Amal movement, who are backed by Syria and Iran,
pulled five of their members of parliament from the cabinet in order
to gain more representation in government.
The crisis has led Lebanon into deep division between two camps,
the western-backed anti-Syrian ruling majority and the Hezbollah led
the opposition, and has left the country without a president since
the term of former president Emile Lahoud ended in November 23, 2007.
Arab League chief Amr Mussa is expected to return to Lebanon by
the end of the week to exert pressure on rival Lebanese sides to
accept a three-point Arab plan which aims at electing army chief
General Michel Suleiman as Lebanese president, forming a government
of national unity and drafting a new electoral law.
Rival sides remain at odds on how to carry out the compromise
plan, with the opposition insisting on veto power in the cabinet and
the majority rejecting the demand.
Arab League foreign ministers met for the second time in Cairo on
January 27 to reaffirm the need to implement the Arab League
initiative to resolve the Lebanon crisis.
They also voiced support for Mussa in efforts to mediate a deal to
end the months-long standoff.
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