Saudi Ambassador Hands Credentials to Aoun, Visits Berri and Hariri

The ambassador presenting his credentials to Aoun. Dalati and Nohra photo
The ambassador presenting his credentials to Aoun. Dalati and Nohra photo
TT

Saudi Ambassador Hands Credentials to Aoun, Visits Berri and Hariri

The ambassador presenting his credentials to Aoun. Dalati and Nohra photo
The ambassador presenting his credentials to Aoun. Dalati and Nohra photo

The new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, Walid al-Yaacoub, handed on Wednesday his credentials to Lebanese President Michel Aoun in the presence of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil.

Yaacoub had handed a copy of his credentials to Bassil a day earlier.

A special ceremony was held at the Baabda presidential palace as four other ambassadors presented their credentials.

Following the ceremony, Yaacoub visited Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.

The two discussed current developments and the bilateral relationship between their countries.

“My meeting with Berri was a protocol measure,” Yaacoub told reporters as he was leaving the speaker’s residence. “Hope for the best, and you shall find it,” he said.

In the evening, the diplomat visited Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the Center House.

“Relations are excellent and the meeting was positive,” Yaacoub said following the meeting.



GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
TT

GCC Welcomes Agreement between Yemen Govt, Houthis

Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)
Hans Grundberg, the U.N. special representative for Yemen, speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 28, 2023. (AP)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi welcomed on Wednesday the agreement between the legitimate Yemeni government and Iran-backed Houthi militias to de-escalate the situation with regard to the Yemeni banking sector and airlines.

The agreement was announced by the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Tuesday.

Albudaiwi expressed the GCC's support for all regional and international efforts and the efforts led by the UN special envoy aimed at achieving peace and security in Yemen.

The announcement underscores the importance the international community attaches to the Yemeni crisis, he added, hoping the agreement will pave the way for Yemeni parties to start the political process, under UN auspices, to reach a comprehensive political solution that achieves security and stability in the country.

He reiterated the GCC's continued support and full solidarity with Yemen, its government and people, and its keenness to encourage all efforts to de-escalate and maintain stability in order to reach peace.