Arab League urges Lebanon to behave Hezbollah in regional affairs

Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-20 23:01:40|Editor: pengying
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LEBANON-BEIRUT-ARAB LEAGUE-SECRETARY-GENERAL-VISIT

Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit (L) shakes hands with Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, on Nov. 20, 2017. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit stressed Monday that "nobody wanted to harm Lebanon," after the Arab League's Cairo meeting on Sunday that links Lebanon's Hezbollah to terrorism. (Xinhua/Dalati Nohra)

BEIRUT, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Arab League (AL) Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed Monday that "nobody wanted to harm Lebanon," after the Arab League's Cairo meeting on Sunday that links Lebanon's Hezbollah to terrorism.

He made the remarks following meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, explaining "the circumstances" that led to the AL's fresh resolution from the urgent meeting.

He said the resolution was adopted by the committee formed by the AL over the Iranian question, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and the UAE.

Aboul Ghiet said, following meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, that Lebanon will not be a battleground for clashes between Iran and Arab states.

"This is certain. No one accuses the Lebanese government of terrorism, but one of its participating parties is accused of this," he added.

He noted that Lebanon could exert pressure on "this party" to encourage it not to intervene in regional affairs.

Several tweets from Aoun's official Twitter account said he also told Aboul Gheit that Lebanon cannot accept the suggestion of its government being a partner in terrorist acts.

He also said the position taken by Lebanon's delegate to the Arab League on Sunday represented the national will, likely referring to Antoine Azzam's objection to the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

During the meeting, Aoun had reportedly told Aboul Gheit that Lebanon is not responsible for Arab or regional conflicts, nor does it attack anyone, and therefore it is not acceptable for Lebanon to pay the price for these conflicts with its security or political stability.

Aboul Gheit again denied that there had been attempts to indict the Lebanese government for Hezbollah's actions, saying that "everyone understands the particularities of Lebanon's system" and that no one wanted to harm the country.

The secretary-general presided over the emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo Sunday, which was called for by Saudi Arabia to discuss Iran's "violations" in the region.

It was only the 12th such session to be held since the organization's founding in 1945.

Aboul Gheit announced that the Arab states had agreed to designate Hezbollah a terrorist organization in a summary of the resolution at a news conference following a closed session.

Lebanon objected to articles 4, 6 and 9 of the resolution pertaining to the designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

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