Arabs FMs to Meet Amid Fear over Iran Influence in Lebanon
Arab foreign ministers are to hold an emergency meeting on Sunday on the Lebanon crisis amid fears about Iran”s influence over the Hizbullah movement which seized control of west Beirut on Friday.
The move follows three days of street battles in Lebanon which have stoked fears a protracted political feud could descend into another full-blown civil war in the deeply divided nation.
"It has been decided to hold an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Sunday in Cairo, at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to put an end to the deadly battles in Lebanon," an Arab League official said.
The Sunni Muslim kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a regional powerhouse and key U.S. ally which backs the ruling majority in Lebanon, had led calls for the meeting in the wake of the fighting that has left 13 people dead and scores wounded.
Arab League Chief Amr Mussa cut short a trip to the United States and returned to Cairo on Friday to prepare for it, his deputy told AFP.
Saudi Arabia and the region”s other heavyweight, Egypt, have been strong supporters of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Saniora and blamed Hizbullah, backed by Syria and Iran, for the latest confrontation.
"Egypt and other Arab countries are very concerned by the actions of Hezbollah in Lebanon," an Egyptian diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"A party backed by Iran cannot be allowed to take control of the running of Lebanon," the diplomat said.
"The situation today in Lebanon is 10 times worse than it was yesterday and we are very concerned at what is happening, because that means that Iran wants to control the country."
Opposition Hizbullah gunmen seized control of predominantly Muslim west Beirut from pro-government forces on Friday, the third day of sectarian violence that threatened to tip the country into all-out civil war.
The Iranian foreign ministry meanwhile blamed Israel and the United States "for the continuous chaotic situation in Lebanon" while Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Lebanon”s crisis was an "internal matter."
The crisis, the worst since the 15-year civil war ended in 1990, has left the country without a president since November, when pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his mandate with no elected successor.
The feud is widely seen as an extension of the confrontation pitting the United States and its Arab allies and Israel against Syria and Iran.
Yemen meanwhile suggested that Lebanese army chief General Michel Sleiman, the consensual candidate to replace Lahoud, should chair a national dialogue in to end the violence.
Jordan and Kuwait, both key U.S. allies in the region, also gave their backing to the Cairo meeting.
Jordan”s King Abdullah II discussed the crisis with Saudi King Abdullah and they "expressed their deep concern over the repercussion of these horrific events on the future of Lebanon and its people" the palace in Amman said.