Lebanese president makes historic, fruitful visit to Saudi Arabia

Saudi King says Arabs love Lebanon

CP, President Suleiman review Lebanese, regional affairs

Jumblatt hails Saudi regional, int’l role, condemns Aoun

"Terrorists" behind north Lebanon explosions arrested – official

Lebanon's President General Michel Suleiman arrived in Jeddah on an official two-day visit to the Kingdom.

At King Abdulaziz International Airport, the Lebanese President was received by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who welcomed him and the accompanying delegation.

The President was also received by Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; a number of princes; ministers and senior officials.

The delegation accompanying the Lebanese President includes Deputy Prime Minister Major General Issam Abu Jamra; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Fawzi Salloukh and a number of ministers.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Lebanese President General Michel Suleiman chaired official talks between the two sides.

At the outset of the meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques welcomed the Lebanese President and his accompanying delegation, wishing them a pleasant stay in Saudi Arabia.

For his part, President General Michel Suleiman expressed thanks and appreciation to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the warm reception and hospitality accorded to him and his delegation.

On behalf of him, his government and people, the Lebanese President expressed thanks and appreciation to Saudi Arabia's King, his government and people for its offer of support and assistance to Lebanon at various levels and its backing of Doha agreement. The President also referred to Saudi Arabia's great and recognized role in reaching Taif Agreement which ended years of civil war in Lebanon.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques reiterated Kingdom’s permanent stance and keenness in support of Lebanon's integrity and unity as well as Kingdom's reaffirmation to restore security in Lebanon to enable it to play its active role in the Arab world alongside with the rest of Arab countries.

The two sides, then, discussed prospects of bolstering cooperation between the two countries and ways of strengthening them in various areas to serve the bilateral interests.

At the end of the meeting, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz decorated President General Michel Suleiman with King Abdulaziz medal which is awarded to the distinguished leaders of the world.

Addressing the Saudi king, Suleiman praised Riyadh for the role it played in sponsoring the Taif Accord, which ended Lebanon's 1975-1990 Civil War.

"We need not to go far back in history to see that Saudi Arabia had always stood by Lebanon ... We can start with the Saudi-sponsored Taif Accord, which established peace among the Lebanese," Suleiman said, adding that Saudi aid to Lebanon had exceeded all expectations.

"I would like to speak about the Saudi military aid to the Lebanese Army during the Nahr al-Bared battles last year," he said, referring to the conflict between with the Fatah al-Islam militant group in the Northern Palestinian refugee camp.

"We will not forget your famous saying: 'Letting down Lebanon equals letting down oneself,'" Suleiman told Abdullah.

The president also said the upcoming stage in Lebanon was one of reconciliation and dialogue, adding that the country needed help to solve the issue of Palestinian refugees.

"We must work on emphasizing the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland," he said.

The talks were attended by Prince Abdurrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation; Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Abdulilah bin Abdulaziz, advisor to The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Makkah Region.

Suleiman headed an official delegation which also included Deputy Premier Issam Abu Jamra, Education Minister Bahia Hariri, Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Public Works Minister Ghazi Aridi, Economy Minister Mohammad Safadi, and Minister of State Nassib Lahoud.

Selman's media office said the president would remain in Saudi Arabia for two days.

The kingdom was Suleiman's fifth foreign destination, since his election in late May, following earlier visits to France, Qatar, Syria, and the United States. The president is also expected to visit Egypt, Canada, and Iran in the coming weeks.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud held at his palace a dinner party in honor of Lebanon's President General Michel Suleiman and the accompanying delegation.

The party was attended by Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General; Prince Miteb bin Abdulaziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs; Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Abdullah Al Saud; Prince Bandar bin Khalid bin Abdulaziz; Prince Khalid Al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz, the Governor of Makkah region; Prince Saud Al-Faisal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs; Prince Abdulilah bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to the King; Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Chief of General Intelligence; a number of princes; ministers and senior officials.

Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman held a meeting.

At the outset of the meeting, the crown prince welcomed the president and his companions whishing them good stay in the kingdom.

The President thanked the crown prince for the hospitality and the kingdom for its support for Lebanon including Taif Agreement that ended years of civil war in Lebanon in addition to the kingdom's support for Doha Agreement.

The meeting was attended by a number of princes and Saudi and Lebanese senior officials.

Then, the crown prince and the Lebanese president held a closed-door meeting during which they discussed ways of boosting cooperation between the two countries. The meeting was attended by Prince Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General, and Prince Saud Alfaisal, the Foreign Minister.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman received at his residence in Al-Hamra Palace, Prince Saud Al-Faisal, The Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Minister, told a news briefing that the meeting of the Lebanese President and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz had covered all important areas of cooperation between the two countries and issues of concern to both countries, wishing success to Lebanon, which suffered the hardships that are not caused by the Lebanese people.

"God willing, the future will be better than the past" he said assuring Saudi Arabia', "firm stand in support of Lebanon.

"My meeting with the Lebanese President focused on all issues as regards Arab affairs," Prince Saud said, hoping to resolve all existing problems in the Arab arena in a manner that achieves the joint Arab action and the strength needed for the conservation of the Arab nation's interests.

The meeting was attended by Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja. The Lebanese side at the meeting included Fawzi Salloukh, Minister of Foreign Affairs & Emigrants; Ghazi Aridi, Minister of Transport & Public Works and a number of senior officials.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman received the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

They reviewed the latest developments in Lebanon and the relations of Lebanon with the neighboring countries.

The meeting was attended by a number of senior officials.

Lebanese President General Michel Suleiman expressed his thanks, appreciation and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz for his support to Arab political, social and humanitarian action and for his pioneering initiatives in all fields, noting that the Kingdom has become a resort to every brotherly country during adversities.

In a meeting with businessmen at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jeddah, the Lebanese President congratulated the Saudi government and people for their progress in various fields and strategic economic planning, calling for further cooperation and investments in the two countries.

President Suleiman welcomed all Saudis in their second country, calling on them to promote their investments under a package of guarantees and facilities provided by Lebanon.

He announced the formation of a committee headed by Minister of Economy and Trade Mohammed al-Safadi to define the losses of Saudi investors in the political and security crisis witnessed by Lebanon in the past years.

On his part, the Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah bin Ahmed Zainal called on Saudi businessmen to contribute along with Lebanese counterparts to the advancement of trade exchange and investment between the Kingdom and Lebanon to the level stressed by the leaders of the two countries.

The minister emphasized the importance of working together to boost the volume of trade exchange between the two countries, pointing to the increase in the balance from SR 981 million in 2000 to SR 1,896 million last year. He noted that the current level of bilateral trade is not commensurate with great potentials and opportunities for both countries.

The minister affirmed the need for raising the level of joint ventures operating in the Kingdom comprising 543 projects, including 228 industrial projects and 314 non-industrial projects with a total capital of SR 7,177 million, pointing out that Saudi partner's share is 61.7 percent, Lebanese partner's share 29.11 percent and the remainder to other partners.

The president of the Saudi-Lebanese Business Council, Abdelmohsen al-Hakir, was quoted by SPA as saying that "many Saudi investments will start flowing back to the Lebanese market."

Saudi investments in Lebanon are estimated at nearly 5 billion riyals ($1.3 billion) and are expected to increase, Hakir said.

Suleiman told the businessmen that the end of terrorism in the Arab and Islamic worlds was not far away.

The president also described media attacks against Saudi Arabia as a blow to Arabism.

"Any Lebanese individual who attacks any of his Arab brothers in the media, particularly Saudi Arabia, is moving away from his Arabism," he said.

"Lebanon must be respected; all countries must respect Lebanon," Abdullah said, stressing that Saudi Arabia was prepared to "help Lebanon in whatever it demands," according to the official.

Lebanese Minister of Public Works Ghazi Al-Aridi described the talks between King Abdullah and visiting Lebanese President Michel Suleiman as cordial. The talks served a reminder of positive historical stances between the two countries and a confirmation that the Kingdom treats all Lebanese equally, he said.

Al-Aridi was part of the Lebanese delegation which was received by King Abdullah. King Abdullah and President Suleiman had frank discussions on all Lebanese pressing issues, he said. The summit was a road map for strategic relations and boosting Arab solidarity, he added.

The summit revolved around political, economic, commercial, and security aspects, Al-Aridi said.

The terrorism dossier was also discussed in the talks with a serious concern to continue war on terror.

Answering a question on whether the talks dealt with Lebanon’s relations with some neighboring countries, Al-Aridi said: they stressed the necessity for non-intervention of any neighboring country in the Lebanese internal affairs, and the keenness to safeguard Lebanon’s independence, security, and sovereignty.

He pointed out that they agreed to form committees to follow up the agreements of the Jeddah summit. He added that Dr. Abdulaziz Khojah, the Kingdom’s Ambassador to Lebanon, who is playing a big positive role in strengthening the strategic relations between the two countries, will carry out what has been agreed on in the summit.

The Kingdom was the first country to support Lebanon in its battle against "terrorism" in Nahr Al-Bared, as it provided quick humanitarian aid and funds to develop and modernize the area.

As to the economic agenda in the talks, Al-Aridi said the two leaders discussed all its details as the Kingdom has extended all out support to Lebanon on this issue. As to whether Jeddah summit contributed in clearing the air among Arab countries, he said the Kingdom and Lebanon were and still are keen to boost solidarity and clear all the intra-Arab misconceptions.

The chairman of the Future Bloc, one of the main political groups in Lebanon, Saad Al-Hariri, said Lebanese view Suleiman’s visit to the Kingdom as reflecting the aspiration of all Lebanese nationals. He added that the Saudi-Lebanese relations have endured all tests.

He cited the Kingdom’s support for Lebanon in the most difficult circumstances. He lauded King Abdullah’s assistance to students in all regions of Lebanon and his keenness to safeguard Lebanon’s unity, safety, and stability.

Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader and MP Michel Aoun said that Iran was helping Lebanon to achieve national unity and dismissed criticism from his rivals at home about his visit to the Islamic Republic.

"Iran is especially helping Lebanon in confronting its problems and achieving national unity," he told a joint news conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. "Iran never helped one Lebanese party against the others," added Aoun, whose FPM is allied with Hezbollah.

He said he was "surprised and astonished" at criticism by other Lebanese politicians from rival factions about the visit.

Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) leader Walid Jumblatt argued that the trip was aimed at provoking differences among Lebanese factions.

Jumblatt, in an editorial to be published by the PSP's weekly magazine Al-Anbaa, described Aoun as "leader of defeats" and said his visit to Iran was meant to "rekindle divisions that had been settled by the Taif Accord regarding Lebanon's Arab belonging."

Aoun's visit, according to Jumblatt, also aims to torpedo "the policy of non-alignment that Lebanon is trying to adopt" regarding regional disputes.

The visit, Jumblatt wrote, "coincides with President Michel Suleiman's visit to Saudi Arabia that backs the concept of non alignment as stated by the Taif Accord."

Saad Al-Hariri, Member of Lebanon's parliament and leader of the Future Bloc parliamentary lobby, underscored the importance of the state visit paid by Lebanon's President Michael Suleiman to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In a statement, Al-Hariri said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was and still standing beside the Lebanese people at all times and not differentiating between them.

Lebanese authorities arrested members of a "terrorist network" suspected of involvement in deadly bomb attacks in the northern city of Tripoli, the army said.

"Several members of a terrorist cell involved in the recent explosions in Tripoli have been arrested," the army said in a statement carried by the official news agency NNA.

Four soldiers and three civilians were killed when an explosion ripped through a military bus in the port city on September 29. A similar attack in mid-August killed 14 people, including nine soldiers and a child. The army said an explosives belt for use in a future attack was found during the arrest operation carried out by a joint unit of soldiers and internal security forces.

A search is underway for a leading member of the cell, named as Abdul Ghani Ali Jawhar, the statement said, adding that those arrested were questioned, without saying how many were being held.

Last year, the army fought a 15-week battle with the Al-Qaeda inspired Fatah al-Islam militia in the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared near Tripoli that left 400 people dead, including 168 soldiers.

An army official, declining to be named, said those arrested were Palestinian and Lebanese but without specifying if they were Islamists. The arrests were carried out near Baddawi, another Palestinian camp.

Security sources told AFP that a total of six people were detained, including four men from the same family: Mahmud Azzam, 80, and his three sons. The father and two of his sons were released after questioning.

One son had returned the previous day from Denmark, another from Algeria and the third worked in Lebanon, one of the sources said, adding that they were from Nahr al-Bared.

A fourth brother, Jihad, had been killed in last year's fighting with the army, the sources said.

A Lebanese man, Alaa Mehrez, also known as Attiya, was detained in possession of the explosives belt as well as a woman who was with him at the time in the mainly Sunni district of Bab el-Tebbaneh, the sources said.

They said Mehrez was a brother-in-law of the main suspect on the run.

A "terrorist" cell said to be behind three bomb attacks in Lebanon was seeking revenge for the army's victory over a militant Islamist group last year, a security official said.

"The cell is linked to Fatah al-Islam and some of its members came from that group," the official said, referring to an Al-Qaeda-inspired militia which fought a 15-week battle last year against the army in a Palestinian refugee camp.

"So far the army is the sole target of attacks mounted by this cell and the operations they were planning target the army and internal security forces," the official said.

He said the cell, whose members were arrested, was to blame for an attack on a military bus in the northern city of Tripoli on Sept. 29, when four soldiers and three civilians were killed.

It was also responsible for an attack in the port city in mid-August which killed 14 people, including nine soldiers and a child, and the murder of a soldier in a bomb blast in Akkar in May.

"Documents seized in two places searched by a joint force - in Tripoli and Akkar - show that the army and internal security forces were also their next target," he said.

The As-Safir newspaper reported that the cell was planning an attack on a Lebanese army bus and on internal security forces headquarters in Beirut.

The Lebanese army ousted Fatah al-Islam fighters from the Nahr al-Bared camp near Tripoli in September last year after 15 weeks of fighting that left 400 people dead, including 168 soldiers.

However, Fatah al-Islam chief Shaker al-Abssi managed to flee and has vowed revenge attacks against the army.