A meeting of Arab foreign ministers ahead of the Arab economic summit on Monday revealed core differences in opinion over how to deal with Lebanon's most recent crisis.
On 12 January an independent minister and ten ministers from the Hezbollah-dominated 8 March coalition resigned. The resulting 11 member shortfall dissolved the Lebanese cabinet.
The resignations followed a dispute with Western-backed factions over upcoming indictments in the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Diplomats participating in the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, held in Sharm al-Sheikh, said the ministers discussed the situation in Lebanon but could not reach agreement on what steps to take to help bring Lebanon out of crisis.
The meeting saw heated debates between Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Syrian deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Meqdad over the Syrian-Saudi initiative concerning the Lebanese crisis.
Diplomats said al-Faisal told Meqdad that, due to disagreements with Syria, Saudi Arabia no longer supports its initiative.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit, meanwhile, expressed reservations over Turkey’s increasingly prominent role in the Lebanon crisis at a meeting on Monday between Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.
Abul Gheit earlier said in a press release that Egypt welcomes Turkish Foreign Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s idea of forming an international committee to help Lebanon with its latest crisis, on the condition that Turkey clarifies the mission of the proposed committee.
Diplomats said Abul Gheit has also voiced dissatisfaction over the expanding role played by non-Arab parties in Arab affairs, especially during the recent Lebanese crisis.
State-run news agency MENA cited Abul Gheit as saying that Arab foreign ministers will discuss on Tuesday a proposal submitted by Egypt and the Arab League calling for the Arab League to issue a declaration urging the non-intervention of foreign powers in Arab affairs.
