Calls mounting for removing Lebanon minister over Gulf row
ABC News
Pressure is mounting on Lebanese leaders to remove a Cabinet minister whose comments on the war in Yemen sparked a diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia
BEIRUT -- Pressure is mounting on Lebanese leaders to remove a Cabinet minister whose comments on the war in Yemen sparked a diplomatic row with Saudi Arabia. The head of the country’s Maronite Catholic Church called for “decisive action” in his Sunday sermon, suggesting he wanted the minister to resign.
Cardinal Bechara Rai said the crisis with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations threatens to undermine the interests of thousands of Lebanese living there, as well as businesses in Lebanon that depend on the region.
“We look forward to the President and the Prime Minister and all those concerned to take a decisive action to remove the explosive fuse threatening the Lebanese-Gulf relations,” Rai said. “We call for this decisive position in defense of Lebanon and the Lebanese living in the country and abroad.”
His call echoed comments by the Lebanese-Saudi Business Council, an association that represents businessmen from both countries. On Sunday it warned of the crisis' impact on trade and the economic interests of thousands of Lebanese living in the Gulf.
