Walid Jumblatt: Saudi Arabia Should Negotiate with Iran and End the Yemen War

Walid Jumblatt, a Druze politician from Lebanon, called on Saudi Arabia on Saturday to open dialogue with Iran. The leader of the Druze community in Lebanon also stated that Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen hinders the kingdom's modernization plans. According to Reuters, Jumblatt tweeted on Saturday, December 4, "A minimal agreement with the Islamic Republic gives us in Lebanon the strength and determination necessary to cooperate in implementing a policy of distancing (from regional conflicts)." Jumblatt addressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, saying, "These challenges are great, and the modernization of the kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) is an Islamic and Arab necessity, but this mission will not succeed while the war in Yemen continues." The leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon added, "The destruction and siege of Yemen is enough. The human and material costs borne by the people and resources of the kingdom (of Saudi Arabia) are enough." Walid Jumblatt emphasized, "Let the people of Yemen choose whoever they want, and you... be the arbiter, the reformer, and the elder brother as your predecessors were." Jumblatt also compared Yemen to the Afghanistan of the Arab world in his tweets. The leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon stressed that if Saudi Arabia does not resolve its issues with Iran, ending the war in Yemen will be very difficult. Following the Yemeni civil war and the relative dominance of the Houthi Shiites in Yemen, Saudi Arabia, along with its Arab allies, began airstrikes on this country on April 6, 2015. Iran supports the Shiite Houthis in the Yemeni conflict. UN officials say areas in Yemen are on the brink of famine and that the country is struggling with cholera. According to these officials, the collapse of Yemen's healthcare system is another reason that has led the country to face the largest humanitarian crisis currently. Jumblatt also criticized the way "some Saudi groups" treated Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, and blamed Riyadh for Hariri's resignation. Lebanese officials and Hariri's party members have stated that he was under house arrest in Riyadh and was forced to read his resignation on Al Arabiya television on November 4. Saudi Arabia has denied the allegations of house arrest and forcing Hariri to resign. After returning to Lebanon, Hariri suspended his resignation. Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon, stated that he would not accept Hariri's resignation until he returns to the country. In his resignation letter, Hariri stated that he resigned out of fear of assassination and accused Iran of interfering in Lebanon's affairs. His father, Rafik Hariri, was killed in a massive bomb explosion in 2005. At that time, Hezbollah was accused of the assassination of Rafik Hariri, an accusation that the group denied. Michel Aoun, the President of Lebanon, called for the intervention of the Security Council and the European Union, stating that Hariri was a "hostage" in Saudi Arabia. Hariri returned to Lebanon after two weeks, first going to Paris and then back to Lebanon.