Salam: Lebanon's Stance at Arab Summit Stems from Keenness on Arab Unity

Prime Minister Tammam Salam has stressed that his announcement of Lebanon's backing to any Arab decision which preserves Yemen's stability was the result of his keenness on the unity of the Arab nation.

Addressing the Arab League summit held in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday night, Salam said Lebanon supported any decision to preserve the territorial integrity of Yemen.

“This is a natural stance that stems from Lebanon's Arab belonging and its keenness on the unity of the Arab nation and its ability to confront the challenges it is facing,” Salam told several newspapers published on Monday.

The two-day summit ended Sunday with a vow to defeat Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen and the formal unveiling of plans to form a joint Arab intervention force.

A Saudi-led coalition began bombing Yemen on Thursday, saying it was targeting the Huthi rebels and their allies.

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah unleashed a tirade against Saudi Arabia on Friday over its intervention in Yemen, calling it "surprising and painful," and suggesting Riyadh would suffer a "humiliating defeat" if it didn't resolve the conflict through negotiations.

But the March 14 alliance backed the Saudi campaign.

In his remarks to the dailies, Salam described the differences among Lebanese political parties on the issue as “natural.”

“This is not the first time that there are political differences” among the different blocs, Salam said. “We are living in a democratic system.”

But he stressed the importance of “preserving our national unity” despite the dispute on Yemen.

Salam is scheduled to travel to Kuwait on Monday to attend the third donors conference on Syria.

He discussed Lebanon's needs with several officials, including Kuwait's emir, on the sidelines of the Sharm el-Sheikh summit.

“Lebanon hasn't been satisfied with the pledges made in previous conferences,” he said.

Kuwait has hosted previous such conferences in the past two years which saw pledges of around $4 billion in aid, including $800 million from Kuwait.

But U.N. humanitarian agencies have complained that many donors have not followed through on pledges, forcing them to cut assistance to millions of Syrians.

Lebanon, which hosts around 1.5 million Syrian refugees, will ask the international community for 2.1 billion dollars at Monday's conference.

G.K.

H.K.