Saleh Fareed

Saudi Gazette

 

JEDDAH — In his first visit abroad since the formation of his cabinet in February, Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam said Tuesday that he was in the Kingdom just to thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his government for their support to strengthen the capacities of the Lebanese army with a $3 billion assistance and not for discussing the presidential election.



“The Saudis understand that the election is a Lebanese issue,” he said in his opening statement.



Speaking during a press conference here, the Lebanese prime minister said: “My Visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very important because Saudi Arabia is our key supporter due to the great relationship we cherish with each other.”



“The Kingdom is keen to safeguard Lebanon’s unity, security and stability,” he added.



He described his meeting with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Salman Bin Abdulaziz and other senior Saudi officials as a positive.



“It has been a successful visit and we discussed with Saudi officials all the issues, in particular the Syrian refugee crisis,” he said.



Lebanon hosts more refugees from Syria than any other country, with 2 million Syrians seeking refuge in Lebanon.



“Cooperation is ongoing with all political powers for the sake of Lebanon’s unity, security and stability,” he said.



Speaking on security for Saudi tourists in Lebanon, he said: “As far as I know, through our consul general here in Jeddah, that many Saudis have shown interest in spending summer vacation in Lebanon.”



He assured Saudis that Lebanon is safe and ready to receive them this summer as the situation is much improved throughout the army-led plan.



“We are very confident that the army has been and will play a major role to ensure the safety of tourists,” he said.



Salam said he met with Saad Al-Hariri for over an hour on Monday evening upon his arrival in Jeddah and discussed further cooperation for the future of Lebanon.



“He has really showed his full support for the new government” he said. Meanwhile, Ali Awadh Asiri, Kingdom’s envoy in Beirut, who also attended the press conference, said Beirut is safe for Saudis and the Lebanese government has taken steps to ensure safety of all tourists.



“The embassy of Saudi Arabia in Beirut always advises our tourists to be careful in selecting their tourism spots in some parts of Lebanon. But Beirut is safe,” he said.