BEIRUT: Authorities in Bahrain have eased security measures against Lebanese expatriates in the Gulf state, following high-level diplomatic discussions between the two countries.

The decision to allow Lebanese to stay in Bahrain came days after authorities in Manama expelled around 20 Lebanese expatriates from the country and confiscated the passports of more than 100 Lebanese nationals.
Most of the passports that were confiscated before the deporting of the mainly Shiite Lebanese expatriates were returned.

The National News Agency said Tuesday that Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati thanked his Bahraini counterpart for his cooperation on the issue of Lebanese expatriates.

Mikati also emphasized to Bahraini Prime Minister Khalifah Ibn Salman al-Khalifah his commitment to the kingdom’s stability and its relations with Lebanon. “The Lebanese living in Bahrain are guards to the country’s [Bahrain] sovereignty,” Mikati was quoted a saying by the NNA.

In a telephone call with The Daily Star Tuesday, the director general of the Foreign Ministry in Beirut described the development as “a great achievement for both countries.”

“The Bahraini authorities have stopped expelling the Lebanese and confiscating their passports after Beirut authorities held several discussions, away from the media, with the Bahraini kingdom,” said Haitham Jomaa.
Security forces in Bahrain called on more than a dozen Lebanese to leave the country following the unrest caused by Shiite-led demonstrations in Manama, citing “security reasons.”

Following the deployment of Saudi troops in Bahrain to contain the unrest, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah accused Bahrain of “murder.”
Nasrallah also vowed to support the opposition in their demands for more rights from the Sunni monarchy in Bahrain, a Shiite majority country.

Nasrallah’s speech sparked a spat between Lebanon and Bahrain, threatening diplomatic relations.
But Jomaa said relations between Beirut and Manama were brotherly and would remain good as they are both members of the Arab League.
“The ministry will work to help the Lebanese who were expelled return to their work and normal lives in Bahrain,” Jomaa added.