Lebanon's Aoun rejects Arab-US summit declaration

Lebanese President Michel Aoun at the government palace in Beirut, Lebanon on 20 February, 2017 [Ratib Al Safadi/Anadolu Agency]

“What the (Lebanese) Foreign Minister said about the Lebanese position regarding the Riyadh Declaration is 100 per cent correct,” Aoun said in an interview with the Press Club delegation.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil announced that his country was surprised by the content of the Riyadh Declaration which was issued on Sunday after the conclusion of the summit in Riyadh.

“We were not aware of the Riyadh announcement. We understood that no statement would be issued after the summit, and we were surprised by its issuance and content while on the airplane back,” Basil said.

“We say that we adhere to ministerial statement and the policy of distancing Lebanon from external problems to preserve Lebanon, its people and its unity,” the Lebanese Foreign Minister added.

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