Saudi-Lebanese relations revisited in
commemoration of regional ties
Seminar maps history of kingdom’s support
The various hats worn by Saudi Arabia in its relationship with Lebanon, particularly in
seeking a solution to the 1975-1990 civil war, were the focus of the second day of a
seminar examining relations between the two nations on Thursday.
The Lebanese University’s faculty of literature hosted the final day of the
conference, held jointly by LU and King Abdel-Aziz University to mark the 20th anniversary
of the ascension of King Fahd Bin Abdel-Aziz.
Discussing Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts prior to the Taif Accord, LU’s dean
of education, Abdel-Raouf Sinno said that the countries enjoy close relations due in part
to the thousands of Lebanese who travel to Saudi Arabia for work or the yearly Hajj
pilgrimage.
In return, Lebanon serves as a market for capital investments and a summer vacation locale
for many Saudis.
“Between 1975 and 1981, Saudi Arabia was actively involved in efforts to end the war,
introduce reforms in the (Lebanese) system, and settle disputes between the Lebanese and
Palestinians without undermining the Palestinian resistance or the sovereignty of
Lebanon,” Sinno said.
He added that prior to the 1989 Taif accord, the Saudi government offered humanitarian and
financial support before and after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
He indicated that the Taif Accord itself was backed by Saudi Arabia due to fears that
“the bloody 1988 presidential elections might present a danger to stability in the
region.”
In October 1989, the Lebanese Parliament, meeting in Taif, Saudi Arabia, endorsed the
accord for national reconciliation, which restructured the political system by
transferring certain powers of the Maronite presidency to a Cabinet divided equally
between Muslims and Christians.
Taif also mapped out a security plan for extending government sovereignty over all of the
country’s territory.
Issam Suleiman, a law and political science teacher at LU, said that the Saudis’ role
in the tripartite Arab committee that produced the accord was instrumental in attracting
the world’s attention to key issues in the region, and ending the Lebanese
civil war.
Suleiman stated that the initiative grew out of a visit by Prince Saud al-Faisal to
Washington early in 1989, “urging the United States to exert pressure on Israel to
implement UN Security Council Resolution 425,” which called for Israel to end its
occupation of Lebanon.
This continued “with the urging by Saudi officials in June 1989 for a common ground
among Lebanese officials to meet and find a workable solution to the Lebanese
conflict,” Suleiman said.
Fahed al-Harithy, an Arab literature teacher at King Saud University, asserted that
“sincerity, fairness and clear vision” are key elements in Saudi Arabian policy,
and reasons for the important diplomatic role the country plays in consolidating
inter-Arab relations, particularly with its handling of Lebanese problems.
He said that in pursuing its efforts toward peace, the Saudi government was faced with the
longest and most complex civil war in modern times, but “was present as a partner of
peace and reconciliation in every meeting and summit it called for or was part of.”
Hassan Hallaq, a member of the teacher’s committee at LU, said Saudi support for
Lebanon dates back to 1943, when Lebanon became independent from French rule.
“During the 1940s, many Arab countries sought their independence from French, British
or Italian rule and found refuge and support from Saudi Arabia, “which fought for
everyone’s sovereignty and independence.”
Hallaq said Saudi Arabia played an important role during Lebanon’s early civil war
years when it sent military personnel to act as part of the Arab Deterrent Force in 1977.
He explained that the forces worked to “preserve security and consolidate
Lebanon’s unity and independence” in addition to the Saudi government’s
continued financial, diplomatic, social, medical, and educational support “in the
billions of dollars."
Abdel Kader Tash, former editor of the Saudi newspapers Arab News and al-Bilad, said that
“in the last 20 years, Saudi Arabia contributed more than 4 percent of its gross
domestic product in the form of foreign humanitarian aid to developing countries, more
than five times the 0.7 percent the UN calls for.”
Tash said that Arab and Muslim countries received the lion’s share of the average
$3.7 billion of annual aid, citing Saudi Arabia’s policy as a Muslim nation with a
1992 quote by King Fahd promising “support in any and all matters of concern to Arabs
and Muslims.”
Tash outlined the aid extended by Saudi Arabia to Lebanon, including the finance of 11
development projects worth $130 million, capital investments in tourism worth tens
of millions of dollars, and financial aid to victims of Israeli aggression in the South.
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