BEIRUT — Prime Minister Najib Mikati in a public address Thursday asked Information Minister George Kurdahi to “follow his conscience” and take the steps necessary to mend relations with Saudi Arabia amid a diplomatic crisis that erupted last week after a television station broadcast comments Kurdahi had made about Saudi involvement in the war in Yemen.
Here’s what we know:
• In his speech, Mikati asked Kurdahi to “prioritize his conscience and the national interest over populist slogans,” adding that he is “still betting on his [Kurdahi’s] national sentiment” to assess the situation and consider the interests of Lebanese expatriates in the Gulf.
• Mikati also said that he will seek to restore relations with Saud Arabia and the “brotherly Gulf countries.” Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have all severed diplomatic ties with Lebanon over Kurdahi’s remarks. Saudi Arabia has also expanded a preexisting ban on Lebanese produce imports to cover all imports from Lebanon.
• Turning to more domestic challenges, the prime minister called on the members of his cabinet to stop obstructing government, asking them to resume meetings to “overcome the days wasted for nothing” following a government paralysis that set in last month when Amal and Hezbollah ministers said they would boycott the cabinet unless it took a stance on the future of the investigation into the Aug. 4, 2020, Beirut port explosion and the judge, Tarek Bitar, who is leading the probe. Mikati on Thursday emphasized that the government “should never step outside its role,” especially when it comes to the “judiciary’s business.” As a result of the dispute, Mikati has not convened a cabinet meeting since Oct. 12.