SAUDI ARABIA: Gulf Arab countries say they will consider taking action against Hezbollah if the movement continues its involvement in Syria's civil war

Record ID: 189199

  • Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Gulf Arab countries say they will consider taking action against Hezbollah if the movement continues its involvement in Syria's civil war
  • Date: 2nd June 2013
  • Summary: JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (JUNE 2, 2013) (REUTERS) **CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY** GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS ENTERING MEETING ROOM AT THE CONFERENCE PALACE IN JEDDAH GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS AND YEMEN FOREIGN MINISTER SEATED VARIOUS OF GCC FOREIGN MINISTERS SEATED AT THE SESSION FOREIGN MINISTERS LEAVING CLOSED MEETING TO MEET WITH GCC FINANCE MINISTERS GCC FOREIGN AND FINANCE MINSTERS JOINT MEETING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) GHANIM AL BUAINAIN, BAHRAIN MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS SAYING: "Today we see a clear Iranian interference with its ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah in the Syrian crisis with all weapons and openly, which led to the escalation of the use of Syrian land as a battleground causing the death of thousands of Syrian people." MEETING NEWS CONFERENCE BY GCC SECRETARY GENERAL AND BAHRAIN MINISTER OF STATE GHANIM AL BUAINAIN (SOUNDBITE) (English) GHANIM AL BUAINAIN ,BAHRAIN MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SAYING: "We make a very clear message to Hezbollah that if such intervention continued, and if such intervention also in GCC countries' local affairs also continued, then GCC countries will look at taking certain procedures against Hezbollah personnel and other benefits of Hezbollah." DELEGATES LEAVING CONFERENCE ROOM
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Saudi Arabia
  • Country: Saudi Arabia
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAEO9E576KQF8PUZXJTCQH3CHC3
  • Story Text: Gulf Arab countries will consider taking action against Hezbollah if the Shi'ite Muslim Lebanese movement continues its involvement in Syria's civil war or interferes in Gulf Arab affairs, Bahrain's deputy foreign minister said on Sunday (June 2).
    Ghanem al-Buainain said the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) regarded Hezbollah's involvement in Syria as "sectarian intervention", but had not discussed listing the group as a terrorist organisation, a step taken by Bahrain last week.
    The Arab League and the United States have urged Hezbollah to pull its fighters from Syria, where France last week said up to 4,000 guerrillas from the group were fighting alongside forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

    "Today we see a clear Iranian interference with its ally, the Lebanese Hezbollah in the Syrian crisis with all weapons and openly, which led to the escalation of the use of Syrian land as a battleground causing the death of thousands of Syrian people," said al-Buainain.

    "We make a very clear message to Hezbollah that if such intervention continued, and if such intervention also in GCC countries' local affairs also continued, then GCC countries will look at taking certain procedures against Hezbollah personnel and other benefits of Hezbollah," he said, without specifying what those procedures were.
    Buainain spoke after a meeting of foreign ministers of the mostly Sunni GCC, which also includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
    Bahrain last Monday banned domestic political groups from making contact with Hezbollah, a movement it believes has been involved in unrest among its Shi'ite Muslim majority.
    The country, ruled by the Sunni al Khalifa family, has been buffeted by political unrest since 2011 with mostly Shi'ite Bahrainis agitating for democratic reforms.
    Bahrain has accused Shi'ite Iran, Hezbollah's main backer, and the Lebanese Shi'ite militants of fanning the unrest. They both deny it, although Hezbollah has criticised the Manama government's security crackdowns on Shi'ite protesters.
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