Beirut - Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Saturday called on their
citizens living in Lebanon to leave the country as soon as possible,
a Lebanese television report said.
Future Television, privately owned by Saad Hariri who heads the
majority anti-Syrian bloc in parliament, said Saudi Arabia had
advised its nationals to leave Lebanon 'as soon as possible.'
There was no one available at the Saudi embassy to comment on the
report.
A government source said that the Lebanese government was advised
about the Saudi decision which called on their citizens to 'leave
Lebanon if they can and to be very careful in their movements inside
the country.'
Kuwaiti citizens living in Lebanon received urgent messages on
their mobiles saying that 'all Kuwaiti citizens are asked to evacuate
Lebanon as soon as possible.'
On February 18, Saudi Arabia issued a travel restriction advisory,
urging citizens to avoid Lebanon because of the 'unstable' security
situation in the country.
The move was adopted after some factions of the Hezbollah-led
opposition have 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 anti-Syrian majority coalition blames Syria and Iran for
obstructing a settlement in Lebanon.
Observers have said major Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia,
Egypt and Gulf states, might boycott the forthcoming Arab Summit
scheduled for March 29 in Damascus if the Lebanese crisis persisted.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria have been deteriorating
since the assassination of Lebanese ex-Premier Rafik Hariri by a
powerful blast that targeted his motorcade in Beirut in 2005. Syria
has been widely blamed - a charge Damascus denies.
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