Ex-Lebanon PMs meet Saudi King

King Salman bin Abdulaziz and three former Lebanese Prime Ministers discussed Monday the latest developments in the Lebanese political scene.

This came during a meeting between the Saudi monarch and prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam, in Jeddah today, according to the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

The meeting discussed “the latest developments in the Lebanese political scene and the importance of preserving Lebanon within its Arab environment.”

The political figures who attended the meeting also stressed the “brotherly relations between the Saudi Kingdom and Lebanon, in addition to Saudi Arabia’s keenness to preserve Lebanon’s security and stability”, according to the same source.

The current Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, was not among the attendees.

Earlier today, the three presidents arrived in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on an indefinite visit to discuss the developments regarding the situation in Lebanon and the region.

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Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora told reporters after his arrival in Jeddah that:  “Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has conveyed to Saudi Arabia his eagerness to strengthening Lebanon’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, which is a relationship that reflects respect, independence, and sovereignty of Lebanon.

Siniora stressed “the importance of restoring the Taif Accord and the constitution as well as to extend the authority of the Lebanese state over the entirety of its territory (…). We have been witnessing, since a while, significant steps were taken by Saudi Arabia towards Lebanon, and the government is the party that signs agreements.”

He highlighted that “Lebanon must face the challenges with a unified front, and most importantly with a sense of self-confidence expressed through words and deeds.”

The Taif Accord is an agreement reached with a Saudi mediation on 30 September 1989 in the city of Taif.

The agreement ended the 15-year Lebanese civil war, during a meeting which was attended by 62 Lebanese deputies out of 73.

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