UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Friday the Saudi Arabia-Lebanon crisis could lead to "devastating consequences" for the Middle East.
"This is a matter of great concern to us," he told reporters here. "What we want is for peace to be preserved in Lebanon. It is essential that no new conflict erupts in the region."
Guterres said he has been in "very intense contacts" at political and diplomatic levels with Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, and also with several other regional countries or countries "with an influence in the region."
"It is important to preserve the unity, the stability of Lebanon, and the functioning of Lebanese institutions," he said. "We are indeed very worried and we hope that we won't see an escalation in the region that would have tragic consequences."
The latest crisis erupted on Nov. 4 when Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation in a televised speech aired from the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh.
Hariri blamed Hezbollah and Iran for his resignation, saying he got information about an assassination plot against him. His father, late Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, was assassinated in a truck bombing in Beirut in 2005 and the case is still under investigation.
There have been reports saying Hariri was being held against his will, which Saudi officials deny.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have told their citizens to leave Lebanon, fearing an outbreak of hostilities.
The International Support Group (ISG) for Lebanon, which include Britain, China, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, said Friday in a joint statement that the ISG had met with Lebanese President Michel Aoun earlier Friday at the Presidential Palace in Baabda to discuss the Lebanon crisis.
In the statement, ISG members praised Aoun's leadership in urging calm and unity, and welcomed the steps taken to contain the political crisis and to safeguard Lebanon's unity, stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"In this regard, the ISG welcomes the call of the president for prime minister Hariri to return to Lebanon," it said.
A devastating civil war wracked Lebanon in 1975-1990, with the political effects lasting till the present and causing the nation to be split among factions. While the prime minister in Lebanon is aligned with Sunni Saudi Arabia, the president of Lebanon identifies himself with Shiite Iran.
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was quoted in reports as saying that Saudi Arabia has declared war on Hezbollah and Lebanon. Enditem
