Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi conferred with Kuwaiti Charge d’Affaires Abdel Salman Chahine in the presence of Deputy Director of General Security Elias Baissari on Friday, a day after Kuwaiti writer and TV host Fajr Al-Saeed was banned from entering Lebanon, triggering harsh reactions.
Media reports said discussions covered bilateral relations and the need to reinforce security cooperation between the two countries.
The incident drew criticism from several politicians, including former prime minister Fouad Siniora, who described it as an “irresponsible and dangerous act and an intentional disdain of Lebanon’s Arab and international relations.”
“The behavior of the Directorate of General Security is politically motivated and shows that it is dictated by Hezbollah in order to keep Lebanon under Iran’s hegemony and the so-called “momanaa” (Hezbollah) axis against the will and interests of the Lebanese,” Siniora said.
Sunni MP Fouad Makhzoumi tweeted on Friday that “Kuwaiti journalist Fajr Al-Saeed was banned from entering Lebanon for unknown reasons and without any legal justification, only 15 days since Beirut was declared the capital of Arab media for 2023.”
He added that this is “a contradiction that is not understandable and necessitates an immediate clarification by the concerned authorities.”
On his part, Lebanese Forces MP Fadi Karam said in a tweet: “The offense against journalist Fajr Al-Saeed is a humiliation to the Lebanese. The threats that we read in the “momanaa” (Hezbollah) media against anyone who opposes them make us more determined to defend our freedoms and convictions. Neutrality on that issue jeopardizes our destiny.”
Abbas Ibrahim, the former head of Lebanon’s General Directorate of Security (DGSG), had issued a memorandum against Saeed over her anti-Hezbollah stance.
Ibrahim said in a communique on Thursday that his decision was “in line with the law” and that the same procedure was applied in airports around the world.
He stressed that “banning a citizen from entering a country or interrogating him according to the law does not constitute an insult to the country of which he is a national.”
