Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam speaks during a ceremony announcing the launch of the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan in Beirut, on December 15, 2014. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat—Lebanese leaders sought to distance themselves from recent comments by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on the situation in Bahrain over the weekend, claiming that Nasrallah’s statements were his personal views and did not reflect official policy.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil told Asharq Al-Awsat that “since the very beginning the Foreign Ministry has fulfilled its duty in making clear that what was said [by Nasrallah] does not reflect the official Lebanese position.”
In a speech last week Nasrallah, the head of the Shi’ite movement, criticized the Bahraini government’s handling of the opposition, calling it “tyrannical and oppressive.”
Though Nasrallah has no official position in the Lebanese government, Hezbollah holds a dozen seats in the Lebanese parliament and two cabinet posts.
Bassil said Lebanon and the Lebanese people “should not bear the responsibility for anything done or said” by Lebanese politicians or public figures speaking on their own behalf, and expressed fears that Lebanese expatriates in Bahrain and other regional countries could face a backlash as a result of Nasrallah’s comments.
“We do not want Lebanese expats to suffer. Their being away from Lebanon is enough of a burden for them to bear,” he said. “In turn we wish that host countries and our friends do not punish those Lebanese living there [in response to the comments], who love and contribute to the development of these host countries.”
He said he hoped the incident had highlighted the importance of not interfering in the affairs of other countries, adding it was a principle that needed to be respected by all the region’s countries.
Lebanese premier Tammam Salam echoed Bassil’s position in a statement released following Nasrallah’s comments.
“Lebanon’s political diversity, which allows for the appearance of widely differing viewpoints [from politicians] on many internal and external issues, must not be used as an excuse for damaging Lebanese interests or Lebanon’s relationship with friendly countries,” Salam said.
“The official position of the Lebanese state on Arab and international matters can only be expressed by the prime minister on behalf of the government—not an individual political figure, even if they are a member of the coalition government,” he added.
“Lebanon, which has suffered greatly from outside interference into its own affairs, is very keen not to interfere into those of other countries, especially friendly, brotherly countries such as Bahrain.”
Salam said he hoped the latest incident “would not contribute to casting a shadow over the deep bond of brotherhood Lebanon shares with Bahrain, or with any of the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, who have done so much for Lebanon and its people.”