BEIRUT: Lebanon abides by the Arab League's call for non-interference in Bahrain’s internal affairs, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said in remarks published Saturday.
But he also criticized the body for publicly censuring Lebanon in a statement two days ago over comments made by Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah in which he denounced Bahrain's arrest of the country's main political opposition leader.
“Lebanon’s implicit position does not differ from that of Arab states as per the [Arab League] statement, with regards to non-interference in Bahraini affairs,” Bassil told Al-Nahar daily.
Bassil said his position stems largely from the need to protect Lebanese expats working in Bahrain, who could suffer if relations deteriorate between the two countries.
Since Lebanon’s official position falls in line with that of the Arab League, “then the Lebanese should not be punished for the positions of a certain group,” he said.
The Arab League on Thursday deemed Nasrallah's remarks during a Jan. 9 speech a “repetitive interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain” and called on the Lebanese government to take clear stance on the issue.
Despite stating Lebanon’s conformity with the Arab League’s position, Bassil criticized their approach to the issue.
Bassil, whose Free Patriotic Movement party is allied with Hezbollah, criticized the Arab League for resorting to public statements to express its grievances rather than directly dealing with the Lebanese government.
Bassil also said that he rejects the “issuance of a statement that expresses opposition to Lebanon or an opposition to a group of Lebanese.”
Bahrain has been in turmoil since 2011 when authorities, backed by a Saudi-led Gulf force, crushed a pro-democracy movement.
A backer of the uprising, Nasrallah in a speech last week accused the Bahraini government of being “tyrannical and oppressive.”
He also compared the Bahraini government’s behavior to the "Zionist project" which established Israel, accusing it of naturalizing Sunnis from across the region to change the country’s majority-Shiite demographic, who form the bulk of the opposition.
Nasrallah’s criticism led Bahrain to summon Lebanon's envoy over the speech earlier this week. The remarks also prompted a backlash from Bahrain’s foreign minister Friday who accused Lebanon of being controlled by a "terrorist agent,” in reference to Nasrallah.
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