Asiri Calls on Officials to Safeguard Country, Avert Syria Repercussions
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri urged on Tuesday officials to safeguard Lebanon and avert any negative repercussions imposed by the turmoil in the neighboring country Syria.
“Lebanon and the region are passing through a delicate situation caused by the developments in Syria,” the ambassador said in an interview with As Safir newspaper.
He warned that the conflict in Syria is at the risk of becoming a sectarian conflict that would drag the whole region.
Asiri called on officials to adopt moderation, back dialogue to prevent the conflict from spilling over into Lebanon and the region.
He denied that his country supports “extremism,” pointing out that Saudi Arabia “paid the price of its moderation.”
Asiri said that ending the disputes in Lebanon is “difficult” as Lebanon is based on a wide variety of sects and political divisions.
He pointed out that his country is keen to “continue contacts with all parties in Lebanon.”
Although Lebanon has officially adopted a position of neutrality in Syria's war, its people are sharply divided with Hizbullah and its allies backing President Bashar Assad's regime and the March 14 coalition supports the rebellion.
Syria's civil war has exacerbated sectarian tensions in Lebanon and its security situation has deteriorated due to various groups intervention in battles in the neighboring country.
Analysts recently warned that the foray into Syria's civil war by Hizbullah has fueled a Sunni-Shiite polarization that threatens to feed extremism on both sides and export the conflict to the wider region.
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