Saudi Arabia bans Lebanese fruit, vegetables to combat drug smuggling vanguardngr.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vanguardngr.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Saudi Arabia on Friday imposed a ban on imports of Lebanese fruit and vegetables into its territory, citing a spike in drug smuggling from Lebanon.
The ban will come into effect on Sunday and will continue until Lebanese authorities provide “adequate and trusted guarantees” to stop “systematic smuggling operations” into the kingdom, Saudi Arabia’s state news agency SPA reported.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it was informed of the Saudi decision and that the foreign minister has referred the issue to higher officials.
“Smuggling drugs in containers or trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables from Lebanon abroad is an act punishable by Lebanese law,” the statement said.
Saudi bans Lebanese produce because of drug smuggling thetelegraph.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thetelegraph.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
US urges Lebanese leaders to break political impasse
Lebanese Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe, right, follows U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale, left, after their meeting at the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, April 14, 2021. Hale berated Lebanese officials for fighting over the shape of a new government for months while millions of Lebanese endure mounting economic and social hardship. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla) April 14, 2021 - 4:41 AM
BEIRUT - A senior U.S. official on Wednesday berated Lebanese politicians for fighting over the formation of a new government for months while millions endure mounting economic hardship.
Mr Wehbe said the foreign ministry is currently assessing an unofficial copy of the agreement and will be awaiting the Lebanese army’s report on the issue before filing its recommendations to the president and caretaker prime minister.
“Once our assessment is complete, we will submit our report and recommendations for preparing for negotiations as soon as possible,” Mr Wehbe said.
These recommendations, Mr Wehbe said, will likely include the formation of a Lebanese delegation to negotiate the demarcation of Lebanon’s maritime borders with Syria, which has not recognised the Lebanese demarcation in 2011.
The ratification of the agreement sparked concerns of another maritime border crisis after Lebanon’s indirect negotiations with Israel under US and UN supervision stumbled in late 2020.