Lebanon approves Saudi ambassador after diplomatic tussle
Lebanon approves Saudi ambassador after diplomatic tussle
Ambassador Walid al-Yaacoubi and his Lebanese counterpart in Saudi Arabia were caught in an apparent dispute over representation, with each country delaying accreditation of the other's diplomat.
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Hariri's shock resignation in November from Saudi Arabia threw his coalition government into crisis [Getty]
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Lebanon has assumed office after presenting his credentials to the Lebanese president, ending a diplomat tussle over representation.
Ambassador Walid al-Yaacoubi and his Lebanese counterpart in Saudi Arabia were caught in an apparent dispute over representation, with each country delaying accreditation of the other's diplomat, though both were named months ago.
Al-Yaacoubi presented his credentials to President Michel Aoun on Wednesday, after Lebanese Ambassador Fawzi Kabbara, a member of Hariri's political party, was approved in Riyadh.
He had been named to the post in July but remained unaccredited in Saudi Arabia.
The delay highlighted lingering tensions between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon following the bizarre, now-reversed resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri from Riyadh.
His resignation was widely viewed as being forced by Saudi Arabia, Hariri's backer, bringing its feud with the Iran-backed Hizballah to the tiny country.
Speculation had swirled around the fate of Hariri, who is a Saudi citizen and grew up in the kingdom, after spending two weeks holed up in Riyad after he resigned.
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