Gulf FM insist on election of Lebanese President by March 11

 

Foreign ministers of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), who met here yesterday, insisted on electing a president by the Lebanese Parliament on March 11 as scheduled.

 

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal led the Saudi delegation at the meeting, which was chaired by Ahmed Ibn Abdullah Al-Mahmoud, Qatari minister of state for foreign affairs.

 

In a joint communique issued after the meeting, the GCC foreign ministers “stressed the need to eliminate any obstacles to the president of Lebanese republic being elected on March 11.”

 

The ministers, who met in a closed-door session, underlined their support for the “constitutional institutions” of Lebanon and expressed concern over obstacles to the Arab initiative for Lebanon.

 

The ministers were concerned about the volatile situation in Lebanon, which has led Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to advise their citizens in Lebanon, especially families living there, to leave the country immediately.