Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe has submitted his resignation, following the backlash that was caused by his recent remarks about Arab Gulf countries.
Wehbe submitted his resignation letter to President Michel Aoun during a meeting with him on Wednesday morning.
“In light of the recent developments and the circumstances that accompanied the interview I gave to a TV station, and in my concern to avoid the exploitation of what was said to offend Lebanon and the Lebanese, I had the honor of meeting His Excellency the President, and submitted to him a request to be relieved of my duties and responsibilities as Foreign Minister,” he stated after the meeting.
This comes 2 days after Wehbe implied in a televised interview that Arab Gulf countries were behind the rise of ISIS in the region.
The official apologized for his statements on Tuesday, after receiving heavy criticism from Lebanese politicians and the Lebanese public for endangering Lebanon’s ties with Gulf countries.
Since then, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have summoned their Lebanese ambassadors over Wehbe’s comments. The UAE handed its Lebanese ambassador a letter condemning the foreign minister’s “racist” statements.
