Shami Did Not Contact Hariri Regarding Lebanon’s Position at Security Council
A Foreign Ministry source told Akhbar al-Yawm news agency that caretaker Foreign Minister Ali Shami will continue on coordinating his positions with Speaker Nabih Berri, while protocol requires him to consult with the prime minister and president.
This position came in light of Shami’s request on Tuesday from Lebanon’s Ambassador to the U.N. Nawwaf Salam not to approve a Security Council statement condemning the use of violence against protestors in Syria.
The source added that Shami’s position is in line with Berri’s, which supports the Syrian regime.
It noted that caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri “says that Lebanon should remain neutral regarding the developments on the internal scene in Syria.”
Meanwhile, Shami’s circles stressed to the Central News Agency the need to “distinguish between a media statement and any Security Council resolution to impose sanctions on Syria.”
“The Foreign Ministry determines Lebanon’s foreign policy and nothing prevents the minister from contacting the ambassador because he answers directly to him,” they said.
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