GCC diplomats urge Lebanese voters to preserve country’s sovereignty, freedom, Arab identity

GCC diplomats urge Lebanese voters to preserve country’s sovereignty, freedom, Arab identity

BEIRUT: Gulf Cooperation Council ambassadors to Lebanon have urged the country’s voters to prioritize the national interest over any other. The diplomats stressed that only those who preserved Lebanon, its sovereignty, freedom, Arab identity, and territorial integrity should become MPs. Their appeal came as the third stage of the parliamentary elections for official employees took place on Thursday. These employees will manage the final stage of the elections on Sunday. Almost 15,000 voted on Thursday in 29 polling stations to facilitate their work on Sunday. Voter turnout reached 50 percent by noon in some constituencies. The envoys expressed their wish for a transparent electoral process to reflect the aspirations of the Lebanese. The ambassadors said that “negativity toward the upcoming elections does not build a nation rather (it) allows others to fill the void and define the identity of Lebanon and its Arab people.” Kuwaiti Ambassador to Lebanon Abdul-Al Sulaiman Al-Qenaei, Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari, and Qatari Ambassador Ibrahim Al-Sahlawi visited Lebanon's Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian. “Boycotting the elections would be surrendering,” the religious leader warned after meeting the diplomats. “We do not want to hand Lebanon over to the enemies of Arabism. We have to realize that whoever