France shuts two cultural centres in Lebanon over fragile security

Feb 19, 2008, 9:11 GMT

Beirut - France has shut two of its cultural centres in Lebanon, due to the fragile security situation in the country, the French embassy said in a statement Tuesday.

'The French cultural centres, in the southern city of Sidon and in Tripoli north of Lebanon, were being temporarily shut down,' the embassy statement said.

'Security of these cultural missions is a priority,' it said.

The French statement followed a warning issued by Saudi Arabia for its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon because of the 'unstable' security situation in the country.

The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) distributed the advisory attributed to an official source at the foreign ministry who also urged Saudis living in Lebanon to adopt the 'required precautionary measures' in their movements.

The move was adopted after some factions of the Hezbollah-led opposition accused Saudi Arabia of blocking a settlement to the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon.

It also followed sharp verbal attacks by pro-Syrian figures against Saudi officials.

The move by Saudi Arabia and France also followed street tensions in Lebanon in the past three days.

Lebanon's political crisis began in November 2006 when Hezbollah and its allies, the Amal movement, who are backed by Syria and Iran, pulled five of their members of parliament from the cabinet in order to gain more representation in government.

The crisis has led Lebanon into deep division between two camps, the western-backed anti-Syrian ruling majority and the Hezbollah led the opposition, and has left the country without a president since the term of former president Emile Lahoud ended in November 23, 2007.

Arab League chief Amr Mussa is expected to return to Lebanon by the end of the week to exert pressure on rival Lebanese sides to accept a three-point Arab plan which aims at electing army chief General Michel Suleiman as Lebanese president, forming a government of national unity and drafting a new electoral law.

Rival sides remain at odds on how to carry out the compromise plan, with the opposition insisting on veto power in the cabinet and the majority rejecting the demand.

Arab League foreign ministers met for the second time in Cairo on January 27 to reaffirm the need to implement the Arab League initiative to resolve the Lebanon crisis.

They also voiced support for Mussa in efforts to mediate a deal to end the months-long standoff.