Lebanon: Popular Movement Rejects Harming Relations with the Gulf

A massive demonstration in front of the Saudi embassy in Beirut in support of Saudi Arabia (AP)
A massive demonstration in front of the Saudi embassy in Beirut in support of Saudi Arabia (AP)
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Lebanon: Popular Movement Rejects Harming Relations with the Gulf

A massive demonstration in front of the Saudi embassy in Beirut in support of Saudi Arabia (AP)
A massive demonstration in front of the Saudi embassy in Beirut in support of Saudi Arabia (AP)

The Lebanese authorities are still unable to carry out practical moves to confront the repercussions of the current crisis with the Gulf countries.

Ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Prime Minister Najib Mikati would discuss this issue with French President Emmanuel Macron in Scotland, on the sidelines of his participation in the COP26 Climate Summit.

Also, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib contacted his Qatari and Omani counterparts, calling for “restraint and work to avoid escalation.”

During his phone conversation with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Bou Habib “welcomed and appreciated” all the efforts made to contain the escalation and alleviate the current crisis, stressing “the importance of communication and meeting with all Gulf and Arab brothers.”

He also contacted his Omani counterpart, Badr Albusaidi, appreciating the statement issued by the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the current crisis and stressing the “importance of dialogue and understanding, as well as Lebanon’s keenness on the best fraternal relations with its Arab and Gulf brothers.”

In the same context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants welcomed “the statement issued by the Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which it expressed its deep regret over the worsening relations between a number of Arab countries and the Republic of Lebanon.”

A statement issued by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry called on all sides to “avoid escalation and address differences through dialogue and understanding in a way that preserves the brotherly countries and their peoples’ supreme interests…”

It added that Lebanon is keen on maintaining the best relations with its Gulf and Arab brothers.

Meanwhile, the country’s political and civil figures continued to condemn statements by Information Minister George Kordahi and his refusal to resign, warning of the repercussions of the crisis at the political and economic levels.

Al-Mustqbal MP Hadi Hobeish said that a large part of the Lebanese, who do not agree to any political talk against the Gulf, are paying the price for such stances.

For his part, Lebanese Forces Party MP Shawki Daccache considered Kordahi’s resignation a first step to address the diplomatic crisis and preserve Lebanon’s Arab identity.

The Lebanese-Saudi Council denounced statements made by Kordahi and other officials who offended Lebanon’s relationship with its Arab surroundings, calling on the government to carry out its work independently, and to dismiss the minister.

“If the matter is left without a radical treatment, it will cause severe damage to the supreme interest of the state and the Lebanese, who are looking to strengthen relations with the Arab environment of Lebanon,” the Council warned.

The Lebanese Association of Industrialists called for speeding up stances that protect Lebanon and safeguard the interests of its people.

“National dignity requires that we explicitly commit ourselves to the interest of Lebanon before any other consideration, no matter how high it is, and that we refrain from engaging in conflicts that do not concern us,” it said.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.