Saudi Arabia's King Salman on Tuesday (November 14th) hosted the head of the Lebanese Maronite church, a historic first at a time when Riyadh is stepping up pressure on Iran-backed Hizbullah, AFP reported.
Beshara Rai arrived in Riyadh on Monday, in the first trip to the kingdom by a senior Lebanese figure since a crisis sparked by the shock resignation of prime minister Saad al-Hariri, which was announced from the Saudi capital.
The patriarch and the king "reviewed fraternal relations between the kingdom and Lebanon and confirmed the importance of the role of different religions and cultures in promoting tolerance, renouncing violence, extremism and terrorism", the state-run Saudi Press Agency said.
Rai also met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The Maronite patriarch's visit "stresses the kingdom's approach for peaceful co-existence, closeness and openness for all sections of Arabic people", Saudi Gulf affairs minister Thamer al-Sabhan said on Twitter.
Rai also held talks with al-Hariri, who stepped down during a televised address on November 4th from Riyadh, in which he strongly criticised Hizbullah and revealed his concerns about a plot to assassinate him.
