Kingdom to work with whoever Lebanon elects as president

Saudi Gazette report Riyadh — Saudi Arabia will support whoever is elected as president by the Lebanese people, the Kingdom’s Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer Al-Sabhan said in an interview with Al Arabiya’s sister channel Al Hadath. Sabhan said he will meet several political leaders in Beirut in order to find a pathway for future bilateral ties. Sabhan visited Lebanon in March. During his two-day visit, he met Lebanese Prime Minister Tamam Salam and discussed bilateral ties and regional issues. Saudi Arabia is willing to meet all political parties in Lebanon who are “not listed as terrorist organizations,” he said. “We always strive to build good relations with Arab countries. Lebanon means a lot to us, and historical relations between the two countries cannot be denied, and cannot be influenced by the agendas of any crisis happening at the time. We are working to complete strategies with regards to Lebanon and all Arab countries,” Sabhan said. Lebanon’s parliament is set to end more than two years of stalemate on Monday by electing ex-general Michel Aoun as president. Under a power-sharing agreement, Lebanon’s presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian while the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament is a Shiite Muslim. The presidency has been vacant since May 2014 when Michel Sleiman’s mandate expired. Since then, parliament has held 45 failed sessions to elect a successor, each time failing to make quorum.