A Lebanese foreign ministry statement on the crisis in Ukraine has stirred internal divisions.
Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib condemned on Thursday the “invasion of Ukrainian territory.”
He called on Russia to halt its military operations at once, withdraw its troops and return to dialogue and negotiations as a means to resolve the conflict, he said.
The statement raised controversy, as Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri was quoted as saying that he was surprised that the position was issued without prior consultation with him and the cabinet.
Berri-affiliated Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada said: “Article 65 of the Constitution entrusts the Council of Ministers with setting the general policy of the state in all fields. The Minister of Foreign Affairs cannot issue any position on any dispute without referring to the Cabinet.”
Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram, who is close to Hezbollah, said he was shocked by the Foreign ministry’s statement, “which was issued in violation of the principle of dissociation announced by the Lebanese government.”
As for Education Minister Abbas Halabi, he wrote on Twitter: “Is it not in Lebanon’s interest to be more neutral… and call for a solution to the conflict by peaceful means and through dialogue?”
In anticipation of a diplomatic crisis with Russia, a local radio reported that Bou Habib met on Thursday with the Russian ambassador to Lebanon to express regret that Lebanon was about to issue a statement condemning the Russian military operation.
The minister was quoted as telling the ambassador that this position was not directed against his country, and that Lebanon hoped it “would not affect the close bilateral relationship.”
Meanwhile, French and German ambassadors to Lebanon met with Bou Habib to thank Lebanon for the statement on the Ukrainian-Russian crisis. They also wished that Beirut would maintain its stance and support the relevant resolution submitted to the Security Council.
Al-Markazia News Agency stated that Bou Habib told the two ambassadors that Lebanon’s position “is consistent and stems from its keenness to adhere to the principles of international legitimacy and international law, which constitute the basic guarantee for the protection of international peace, order and the territorial integrity of small states.”
He also told the two envoys that his country would refrain from taking part in the adoption of the resolution submitted before the Security Council, adding that the voting in the General Assembly would be studied in consultation with the Arab bloc.
“The Lebanese position is not directed against the Russian Federation or any other friendly nation, but rather a principled and solid stance that Lebanon has taken and will take in every similar crisis,” the foreign minister was quoted as telling the ambassadors.
