President Aoun’s visit to Saudi Arabia will mark a new era in KSA-Lebanon diplomatic relations

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Lebanese president-elect Michel Aoun sits on the presidential chair at the presidential palace in Baabda east of Beirut on Oct. 31, 2016. (AFP/File)

By Rashid Hassan and Najia Houssari, Arab news

Lebanese President Michel Aoun is set to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday, marking his first overseas trip since taking office two months ago. Aoun will visit the Kingdom Jan. 9-10 at the invitation of King Salman, before heading to Qatar for a two-day visit. “President
Aoun will meet Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and the Deputy Crown
Prince, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Defence Mohammed bin
Salman,” Rafiq Shalala, Lebanese presidential media adviser, told Arab
News. President Aoun,
who will be accompanied by a large ministerial delegation, had earlier
promised to visit Saudi Arabia when King Salman’s envoy Prince Khaled
Al-Faisal visited Lebanon to congratulate him on winning the
presidential election.

During the meeting with Prince Khaled, the president underscored his keenness to enhance ties with the Kingdom. The
delegation accompanying President Aoun includes seven key ministers
covering finance, defense, information, economy, interior affairs,
foreign affairs and education.

“The timing of the visit asserts
the attention given by President Aoun to Lebanon’s relations with the
Kingdom,” Shalala pointed out. He also noted that a Lebanese
delegation preparing for the visit has already arrived in the Kingdom to
work on the final program of the visit of President Aoun.

Aoun “will undertake his first foreign
visit (since taking office in October) with a trip to Riyadh, and will
attend a reception hosted by the Lebanese Embassy here on Tuesday,”
where he will meet media figures, said Lebanese Ambassador Abdel Sattar
Issa in Riyadh.

In February last year, the Kingdom stopped funding
a program to rearm Lebanon’s military because of hostile Lebanese
positions due to Hezbollah’s stranglehold on the state.

Under the
Saudi-funded “Donas” program, France was to provide military equipment
to Lebanon to ensure stability in the divided country. The program was
to ship vehicles, helicopters, drones, cannons and other equipment.

The
increased influence of Iran-backed Hezbollah in the official affairs of
Lebanon had apparently undermined Saudi-Lebanese ties, an official
source told SPA at the time.

Ex-army chief Aoun was elected president on Oct. 31, ending a two-year political vacuum at the heart of Lebanese politics.

Aoun
had long eyed the presidency, and his candidacy was supported by
Hezbollah, his ally since a surprise rapprochement in 2006.

Following the election Iran welcomed Aoun’s win as a victory for Hezbollah, Tehran’s ally in Lebanon.

By Rashid Hassan and Najia Houssari