Hariri in KSA to Attend Arab and Islamic Summits

Prime Minister Saad Hariri traveled to Jeddah on Wednesday leading a Lebanese delegation to the Arab and Islamic extraordinary summit to be held on Thursday and Friday in Mekkah upon the invitation of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Hariri’s press office said.

At King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Premier Hariri was greeted by Deputy Emir of Mekkah Prince Badr bin Sultan, the Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ambassador Abdullah bin Abdulrahman Alem, the Kingdom's ambassador to Lebanon Walid al-Bukhari and a number of officials.

The official delegation to the summit includes Ministers Wael Abu Faour and Jamal Jarrah, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hani Shmaitli, Lebanon's Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Fawzi Kabbara and Lebanon's permanent representative to the Arab League Ali Halabi.

Saudi Arabia hosts Islamic, Arab and Gulf summits this week as tensions between Iran and the US raise fears of military escalation.

The three summits in Mecca, Islam's holiest city, allow US ally Riyadh the chance to present unified Islamic, Arab and Gulf fronts against its arch-rival Tehran.