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Saudi halts $3 bn in aid to Lebanon army
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Soddy Arabia...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... said Friday it has stopped a $3 billion program for military supplies to Leb in protest against Hezbollah, the Shiite holy warrior group fighting in support of Syria's regime. In response, Leb's PM Tammam Salam urged Saudi to reconsider the suspension of the package. In light of positions taken by Hezbollah the kingdom proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic", an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier. The kingdom's loyal Gulf allies, the UAE and Bahrain, expressed support for Saudi's decision. Saudi added that the remainder of a $1 billion financing package for Lebanese security forces had been suspended, in a separate decision. The $3 billion program financed military equipment provided by La Belle France. Leb received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against miliatnt threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles. Alleged leaders of Leb-based Hezbollah are under sanction by Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah is supported by Iran. In the statement, the Saudi official said Riyadh had always stood with Leb and supported the country through difficult times. "Despite these honourable stands, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia had been met with Lebanese stands that are against it on Arab, regional and international arenas, in the shadow of the confiscation of the will of the state by the so-called Lebanese Hezbollah," the statement said. Hezbollah is the Iranian-backed Shi'ite Muslim group that wields major power in Leb. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia is the arch-regional rival of Shi'ite Iran. The SPA statement said Leb, at recent meetings of the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... and the Organization of the Islamic Conference OIC is an international organisation with a permanent delegation to the UN, with 57 member states. It represents all countries with substantial Moslem populations (as opposed to the Arab League, which excludes members not of the Master Race) except those which member countries block from joining. These include India, which has more Mohammedans than does Pakistain, whose membership is vetoed by Pakistain... , had failed to condemn "the blatant aggression on the kingdom's embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad," last month. It was referring to an attack by Iranian demonstrators protesting over the execution by Riyadh of a Saudi Shiite convicted of incitement to violence. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran over the attacks on its missions.
Following the halt of a Saudi program to fund aid to the Lebanese army, ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... expressed willingness to provide Leb with military aid worth $1.1 million, the National News Agency said. Turkish ambassador to Leb Cagatay Erciyes told Defense Minister Samir Moqbel that his country is ready to "continue to support Leb and its army," NNA said. "The Turkish government has decided to provide military aid worth $ 1.1 million to meet the needs of the Lebanese army, and to include Leb within a program to provide military aid to foreign militaries," the ambassador pointed.
Posted by: Fred 2016-02-20 |
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