Lebanon’s foreign minister arrived in Kuwait on Saturday to give answers to a list of policy suggestions made to the country by Gulf states.
Before setting off from Beirut, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib made it clear that Lebanon would not disarm the Iran-funded Hezbollah group, one of 10 confidence-building measures that have been requested.
I am not going to hand over Hezbollah’s weapons nor end Hezbollah’s existence. This is out of the question in Lebanon
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib
Relations between impoverished Lebanon and the wealthy Gulf states are at their lowest levels in decades. A crisis erupted late last year when a Lebanese politician spoke critically of the Saudi-led war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
Following information minister George Kordahi's comments, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Beirut and halted all Lebanese imports, affecting hundreds of businesses and cutting off hundreds of millions in foreign currency flows to Lebanon. Several Gulf countries also recalled their ambassadors.
Mr Bouhabib will attend a meeting of foreign ministers in Kuwait on Sunday during which he will hand his Kuwaiti equivalent Sheikh Ahmed Nasser Al Mohammed Al Sabah official responses to the Gulf nations’ suggestions. The Kuwaiti foreign minister had delivered them personally to Beirut earlier this month.
“I am not going to hand over Hezbollah’s weapons nor end Hezbollah’s existence. This is out of the question in Lebanon,” Mr Bouhabib said in televised remarks, calling the group a “Lebanese party par excellence” that is active in the government but does not dominate politics in Lebanon.
“We hope to have excellent relations as in the past [with Gulf nations]," Mr Bouhabib said. Lebanon had suggestions for solving problems between the two sides, he said.
The list handed over by Kuwait’s foreign minister and circulated in Lebanese media included implementing US Security Council resolution 1559, which calls for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon. Major anti-corruption reforms should be implemented and all verbal or real attacks on Gulf nations should cease.
Mr Bouhabib said Lebanon respected international resolutions, but said time was needed.
Mr Kordahi, who made his comments before taking his post, resigned in December, but the move did not lead to improved relations between the two sides.
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ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
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Favourite team: Bayern Munich
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Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
PFA Premier League team of 2018-19
Allison (Liverpool)
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
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Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
Paul Pogba (Manchester United)
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Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
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If you go...
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