Arab League envoy expresses regret that Lebanon has "not taken a single step" to resolve the diplomatic rift with Saudi Arabia

BEIRUT — Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League Houssam Zaki expressed regret on Monday that Lebanese officials have taken "no step towards a solution" in relation to the ongoing diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf Arab states. However, he stopped short of suggesting that Information Minister George Kurdahi, whose comments sparked that latest spiral in relations between the countries, be asked to step down.

​Here’s what we know:

    • An Arab League delegation, led by Zaki, began its visit Monday by meeting President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace. The group then met with Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail and later with Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

    • Speaking at a press conference during the day, Zaki said, "There is a crisis that everyone can see and is aware of, and the majority of people know how to solve it. But not a single step has been taken in that direction and this is necessary."

    • The diplomatic rift with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states was triggered when comments made by Information Minister George Kurdahi in August, before he was appointed to his current office, were broadcast on Al Jazeera in late October. Kurdahi’s remarks criticized Saudi invention in the war in Yemen while expressing support for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels there. In response to the comments, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Beirut, expelled Lebanon’s envoy in Riyadh and halted all imports from Lebanon. Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates also severed diplomatic ties with Lebanon in the wake of the incident.

    • Mikati on Thursday called on Kurdahi to "examine his conscience" and act in the best interest of Lebanon and Lebanese living and working in Gulf states, but also did not explicitly suggest that the information minister step down. Kurdahi had earlier in the week indicated he had no intention of resigning his post.

    • After meeting with the prime minister Monday, Zaki told the media that “Mikati seemed very keen on maintaining a good relationship with the kingdom, and a good and healthy relationship with the Arab World.” 

    • For his part, Aoun on Monday reiterated that "an honest dialogue" between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia is the path to a solution to the diplomatic crisis. The president also asked the Saudi government to separate individual positions from the state's stance.

    • Zaki also met the Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, whom he told that the diplomatic crisis "goes beyond" Kurdahi's description of the war in Yemen, the state-run National News Agency reports. Zaki added that "the whole situation requires continued efforts."

    • Relations between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon have progressively worsened over the course of this year. In April, the kingdom imposed a ban on all Lebanese produce imports after it intercepted more than 5 million captagon pills in a shipment of pomegranates that came from Lebanon.

    • Zaki also indicated that if needed he would visit Saudi Arabia in pursuit of a solution to the crisis, but he did not give any time frame for such a trip.