Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday it welcomed the positive points contained in a statement by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati over the weekend.

The ministry hoped that this would contribute to restoring Lebanon’s role and status in the Arab and international arenas.

In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency, the ministry affirmed the Kingdom’s aspiration to prevail security and peace in Lebanon. It also wished that the Lebanese people may enjoy stability and security as well as development and prosperity in their homeland.

It is noteworthy that Mikati discussed in a phone call with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah, efforts to return Lebanese-Gulf relations to normal, his office said in a statement on Saturday.

The relations of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) states with Lebanon have suffered over Iran-backed Hezbollah’s growing power in Beirut and the region, and hit new lows last year when Saudi Arabia and other GCC states expelled Lebanese ambassadors and recalled their own.