Saudi king Abdullah calls for dissociating Lebanon from foreign struggles

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz called for dissociating Lebanon from foreign struggles, particularly the Syrian crisis, in a letter sent to President Michel Sleiman.“Considering the seriousness of the crisis [in North Lebanon] and the possibility of [its escalation] to cause civil strife in the country… we look forward to your wisdom to attempt to intervene to end the crisis,” the king’s letter said according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).“We look forward to your concern to dissociate the Lebanese arena from foreign struggles, particularly the neighboring Syrian crisis.”The king added that the kingdom was following up on the Tripoli events “with great worry” especially since the events “targeted one of the major sects [that are part] of Lebanese society.”“The Saudi Kingdom… will not spare an effort to stand by Lebanon and support it. In addition to the kingdom, the Gulf Cooperation Council [as well will continue] to make effort to support Lebanon so it develops and flourishes.”He added, however, that such efforts will “not be enough” to help Lebanon if its parties do not prioritize the country’s interests.“[Our] efforts, no matter what their extent is, will not be enough if Lebanese parties do not place Lebanon’s interests above narrow interests or serve the interests of regional parties that do not want what is good for Lebanon and the Arab region in general.”Sectarian clashes in northern Lebanese city of Tripoli over the past week have left 10 people dead and sparked fears that the deadly revolt sweeping Syria since March 2011 could spill over into Lebanon.Meanwhile on Sunday, army troops shot dead Sunni cleric Sheikh Ahmad Abdel Wahed when his convoy allegedly failed to stop at a checkpoint in North Lebanon.His death sparked tension in many Lebanese areas where protesters blocked roads using burning tires. In Beirut, two people were killed in street battles in Tariq al-Jedideh./129