Saudi Arabia calls on its nationals to leave Lebanon (Roundup)
By DPA
Mar 1, 2008, 18:19 GMT
Beirut - Saudi Arabia and Kuwait Saturday called on their citizens living in Lebanon to leave the country as soon as possible, a Lebanese television report said.
Future Television, privately owned by Saad Hariri who heads the majority anti-Syrian bloc in parliament, said Saudi Arabia had advised its nationals to leave Lebanon 'as soon as possible.'
There was no one available at the Saudi embassy to comment on the report.
A government source said that the Lebanese government was advised about the Saudi decision which called on their citizens to 'leave Lebanon if they can and to be very careful in their movements inside the country.'
Kuwaiti citizens living in Lebanon received urgent messages on their mobiles saying that 'all Kuwaiti citizens are asked to evacuate Lebanon as soon as possible.'
On February 18, Saudi Arabia issued a travel restriction advisory, urging citizens to avoid Lebanon because of the 'unstable' security situation in the country.
The move was adopted after some factions of the Hezbollah-led opposition have accused Saudi Arabia of blocking a settlement to the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon. It also followed sharp verbal attacks by pro-Syrian figures against Saudi officials.
The anti-Syrian majority coalition blames Syria and Iran for obstructing a settlement in Lebanon.
Observers have said major Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Gulf states, might boycott the forthcoming Arab Summit scheduled for March 29 in Damascus if the Lebanese crisis persisted.
Relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria have been deteriorating since the assassination of Lebanese ex-Premier Rafik Hariri by a powerful blast that targeted his motorcade in Beirut in 2005. Syria has been widely blamed - a charge Damascus denies.
Source: http://news.monstersandcritics.com/middleeast/news/printer_1393548.php 
