Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib in Moscow, November 22, 2021. (Photo: Evgenia Novoz Henna/AFP)
BEIRUT — In an interview with the Lebanese online newsite el-Nashra Friday, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib explained why Lebanon abstained from the UN General Assembly vote to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council.
Here’s what we know:
• Lebanon was one of 58 countries that abstained from voting, explained by Bou Habib, as the country believes “ that dialogue is the best way to resolve disagreements and conflicts, rather than the use of armed force,” adding that if “Russia is excluded from the [Human Rights Council] there will no longer be any dialogue.”
• While Lebanon had initially condemned the “Russian invasion of Ukraine” and voted for a March 2 General Assembly resolution demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops, domestic controversy and Russian exasperation led to Beirut’s repositioning.
• Bou Habib also spoke against “the politicization of international and regional organizations,” a view that he believes is aligned with those of other Arab countries.The resolution was adopted nonetheless, with 93 countries voting in favor of the suspension.
• Russia, China, Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria, Vietnam, were among those who voted against.
• Those abstaining, included India, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Pakistan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Cambodia.
• At the start of the Russian offensive on Feb. 24, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the “invasion of Ukrainian territory” and calling on Russia to “immediately stop” its attacks. The statement sparked domestic controversy, however, with Hezbollah saying the condemnation had been proofread by the US embassy before being issued. The Russian embassy in Lebanon said that Lebanon’s position “surprised [them] by violating the policy of dissociation and by taking one side against another in these events.”