Report: Saudi Arabia Accredits Lebanese Ambassador

Saudi Arabia has accepted accreditation of Fawzi Kabbara as the new Lebanese Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said pan-Arab al-Hayat daily Wednesday, after months of delay over what was perceived as a diplomatic tussle between the two countries.

The daily quoted unnamed sources at the Lebanese Foreign Ministry who said they “received a letter from the Saudi Foreign Ministry accrediting ambassador Fawzi Kabbara as Lebanon's ambassador to Riyadh.”

Al-Hayat said the accreditation delay was the result of administrative reasons, shunning reports it had political grounds.

Kabbara is expected to leave for Riyadh at the end of next month to take over his duties as ambassador, it added, succeeding outgoing ambassador Abdul Sattar Issa who remains in the post on acting capacity.

Lebanon's ambassador to Saudi Arabia and his Saudi counterpart were named months ago, but their accreditation was delayed.

The delay highlights tension between SA and Lebanon following the bizarre, now-reversed resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Riyadh.

Lebanon's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a member of Hariri's political party, was named to the post in late July.

Saudi Arabia named its ambassador in September. Ambassador Walid al-Yaacoubi arrived in Lebanon in November, but still has not been sworn in by the president and the foreign minister, as customary.

Lebanon was thrown into a political crisis after the Nov. 4 Hariri resignation which he delivered in a televised statement read from the Saudi capital, Riyadh. Hariri has since withdrawn his resignation and returned home nearly three weeks later.

The resignation was widely perceived as Saudi-orchestrated, and part of the kingdom's high-stakes rivalry with Iran. Iran is ally and backer of Hizbullah, which is a partner in the Hariri government.

The resignation was viewed as an attempt to break up that unity government and pull the rug from under Iran's ally and destabilize the country.

Domestic support for Hariri and international mediation by France and the U.S. helped reverse the resignation. Saudi officials, however, maintained their vocal criticism of Hizbullah.