Two members of Tunisia’s Nobel Peace Prize winning quartet on Thursday condemned the decision of Arab states in the Gulf to blacklist Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah as a “terrorist” organisation.
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The statement says that Hezbollah’s status conversion is connected with hostile acts of the Lebanese organization against member-states of the block.
Fadlallah said the GCC decision “won’t prevent us from condemning the crimes of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, the kingdom’s financing and support of terrorist groups in Iraq and Syria, or its collaboration with (Israel)”.
Tension between Hezbollah and Hariri spilled into armed conflict as recently as 2008, when a political dispute fuelled by Saudi-Iranian rivalry triggered a brief civil war. GCC includes Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. “Those who call Hezbollah terrorists, have intentionally or unintentionally harmed the unity and security of Lebanon”. It said the designation applies to the militant group as well as all its leaders, factions and affiliates.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Nasser Qandil lashed out at certain moves by Persian Gulf littoral states, including Saudi Arabia, against Lebanon, and their attempts to incite sedition in this country.
Turkey and Saudi Arabia have cultivated closer ties, partly due to shared interests in the region and a common desire to see the removal of the Bashar al-Assad regime from Syria.
“Calling Hezbollah a terrorist group… will harm the unity and security of Lebanon”.
The group accused Hezbollah of seeking to recruit members within the GCC and smuggling weapons and explosives.
Earlier that month, the country had also announced plans to halt billions of dollars in military aid to Beirut.
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According to the newspaper, this is the first time when Gulf monarchies have collectively stood against Hezbollah, which is regarded by Sunni Saudi Arabia as an instrument of the Shia leadership in Iran.
