The measure could increase economic pressure on Lebanon, already on the verge of financial collapse because of a shortage of foreign currency.
State news agency SPA quoted the Saudi authorities as saying Lebanon had failed to take practical measures to stop the smuggling. The ban will take effect from 9:00 a.m. local time on Sunday and last until Lebanese authorities provide "sufficient and reliable" guarantees they will take the necessary measures to stop systematic drug smuggling in Saudi Arabia.
One Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the ban appeared to be political.
"The export of Lebanese vegetables and fruits to the Gulf countries and especially the kingdom was one of the few doors that were still open to bring dollars into the country. Closing this import line increases pressure on Lebanon," he said.
Lebanon's total imports to Saudi Arabia were worth 273.1 million riyals ($72.82 million) in the fourth quarter of 2020, official Saudi data showed.
This as the Lebanese Ministry of foreign Affairs issued later in the day a statement in which it said that smuggling drugs inside containers or trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables abroad "is an act punishable by the Lebanese law."
“Drug smuggling and shipping harms the economy, Lebanese farmers, and Lebanon’s reputation,” the statement added.
The ministry noted that Lebanese authorities must work with utmost efforts to control all smuggling operations, and that by intensifying the work of security apparatuses and customs at the border crossings in light of the Lebanese laws that criminalize trafficking, smuggling and drug abuse, in order to “suppress this scourge and to prevent harm to innocent citizens, farmers, industrialists, and the Lebanese economy.”
in turn, Lebanese Caretaker interior Minister Mohamed Fahmy said that Lebanon is ready to cooperate with all states to fight drug smuggling.
Lebanese security "has been exerting tremendous efforts combating drug smuggling," he told Reuters, adding that smugglers might sometimes succeed despite those "meticulous" efforts.
He also called for "more cooperation" between the security services in the two countries.
For his part, Lebanon's Caretaker Agriculture Minister Abbas Mortada said that Saudi Arabia's ban on his country's fruit and vegetable exports was a "great loss" as the trade was worth $24 million a year.
"The issue is very serious especially if it negatively affects the rest of the Gulf states that could take similar or stringent measures," he told Reuters.
Lebanon is in the throes of a deep financial crisis that is posing the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war. The currency has lost around 90% of its value and dollars are scarce.
The crisis is being compounded by political deadlock, with politicians unable to form a government to unlock much-needed foreign aid.
Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, have so far been loath to offer aid to ease Beirut's economic woes, keeping their distance while alarmed by the rising influence of Hezbollah, a powerful group backed by their arch-rival Iran.
LBCI/REUTERS
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