Hrawi will not upset Gulf states for sake of Baghdad
Lebanon, Economics, 7/21/1997

Lebanese President Elias Hrawi said on July 17 that Lebanon's crucial economic ties with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia were the reason for barring Iraqi athletes from the Pan-Arab Games, while scolding other Gulf countries for failing to deliver promised funds.

"Saudi Arabia and Kuwait took part in building the sports city. There are thousands of Lebanese working in the Gulf repatriating funds to Lebanon. I cannot upset the Gulf Arab States in order to export some products to Iraq," he said. "The Arab League invited Iraq to the games. There was no Lebanese invitation."

Ninety-seven Iraqi athletes who were denied visas returned home on July 15 after being stranded for two days at the Lebanese-Syrian border. The row let to the postponement of a visit by an Iraqi trade delegation.

Speaking to a delegation from the union of journalists, the president said: "I made a request of Prince Faisal that Saudi Arabia intervene with Gulf States that made promises but did not keep them, so that they fulfill their promises to Lebanon."

As for the dispute over the naming of the rehabilitated stadium, Hrawi said his public opening of the games at "Camille Chamoun" stadium was the end to the matter. "Otherwise, we will have to reopen the issue of names of all streets and institutions from one end of the country to the other."

On international issues, the President called on the world community to follow through with tougher measures against Israel, following a UN General Assembly resolution last month urging it to pay damages for its attack on a UN base in the South.

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