Saudi Gazette report

BEIRUT — Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Lebanon has denied a statement attributed to the Kingdom’s ambassador by a Lebanese newspaper with regard to the UN-backed Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Tuesday citing a statement from the embassy.

“With reference to a news report published in one of the newspapers attributing a statement to the ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari, and trying to give the impression as if he spoke to it on the international tribunal investigating the assassination of Rafik Hariri, the embassy would like to clarify that this news is totally untrue and the ambassador did not speak to the newspaper,” the statement read.

“The act of the newspaper shows that it neither demonstrated professionalism nor did it follow the ethics of journalism to verify the authenticity of the news before publishing it. Those who contemplate the content of this fabricated story will understand its purpose and the significance of its publication, as it is intended to cast aspersions on the international tribunal. Furthermore, the embassy reserves its legal right in this regard,” the statement added.