The Persian-language Basirat website has, in an article, weighed in on Saudi
Arabia's interference in Lebanon. The full text of the analytical piece follows.
There have been reports in recent days regarding Saudi Arabia’s interference in
Lebanon’s parliamentary elections scheduled for May, 2018. This comes as Riyadh
has already meddled in Lebanon’s internal affairs by allegedly forcing former
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign. Generally speaking, after the two
movements of March 8 and March 14 were formed in Lebanon, Riyadh has put on its
agenda a plan to keep supporting the March 14 movement. In this regard, the
Saudi are banking on pawns such as Samir Geagea, the executive chairman of the
Lebanese Forces party, and one of the most notorious terrorists in the country.
Now, Saudi Arabia is interfering in Lebanon’s domestic affairs once again.
Riyadh seeks to manage the election climate in Lebanon in order to set the stage
for its own political pawns to emerge victorious in that political arena. A few
points need to be taken into account in this regard:
1. Experts on Lebanon issues have, in recent days, turned the spotlight on New
Saudi Ambassador to Beirut Walid al-Yaacoub. During the short time he has been
present in Beirut, the top Saudi diplomat has had numerous meetings with
authorities of the March 14 movement and has made every effort to help it emerge
victorious in the upcoming election. With the parliamentary vote four months
away, the Saudi ambassador has intensified his meddlesome approach in Lebanon as
his predecessors would do. In this regard, an informed source in Beirut told
Basirat that Saudi ambassadors’ interference in Lebanon is not limited to al-Yaacoub,
and that even before him, other Saudi ambassadors would conduct activities in
favor of the March 14 movement. The activities included financial and political
support, giving promises to leaders of the March 14 movement, and trying to
secure popular vote in favor of the movement. It is lost on no one that it is
Riyadh that meets a great part of the costs of the movement’s election campaign.
Accordingly, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil made comments which
immediately made headlines across the country. In his remarks, he indirectly
warned Riyadh against meddling in Lebanon’s affairs. He recommended diplomats in
Beirut not overstep the limit of their powers and not do activities beyond their
authority.
2. The Lebanese Al-Akhbar daily recently reported that a Saudi delegation would
travel to Beirut to meet Saad Hariri. The team from the Saudi King’s Office is
due in the Lebanese capital in the near future to examine the situation in the
four months left until Lebanon’s parliamentary vote. It goes without saying that
Riyadh has invested heavily in efforts to secure victory in the election. It is
worth mentioning that the Saudi delegation is not scheduled to sit down with
Lebanese President Michel Aoun or Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Still, the
Saudi delegation will meet Hariri (as one of the leaders of the March 14
movement) in order to mobilize all forces and resources of the movement. In
other words, Saudi Arabia is sending a delegation to Beirut to further unify the
March 14 movement in the forthcoming parliamentary election.
3. Incontrovertibly, given the growing Saudi interference in Lebanon’s domestic
equations, we will see the March 8 movement and Hezbollah adopt a firm stance
against Saudi Arabia. The defeat of Riyadh’s pawns in Syria, especially their
defeat in Arsal, which came about due to the strong presence of Hezbollah
forces, was a heavy blow to the Al Saud rulers. Under such circumstances, Riyadh
seeks to take advantage of the political arena to compensate, at least partly,
for its failure on the military front. However, experience shows that Riyadh, at
last, is doomed to paying exorbitant costs in that regard and savour the taste
of another defeat by the resistance front. In other words, even if the Saudi-led
March 14 movement emerges victorious in the parliamentary election, the
resistance front will keep pushing full-steam ahead with its activities in the
political arena of Lebanon and the region.
Hossein Yari
SOURCE: Basirat Persian Website