I’m backing Khatib for prime minister to end stalemate in Lebanon, Hariri says
Saad Hariri is backing businessman Samir Khatib to replace him as government leader in an attempt to end the political stalemate gripping Lebanon, sources close to the outgoing prime minister told Arab News on Wednesday.
Hariri’s decision to nominate Khatib followed warnings that “the situation in the country is no longer tolerable,” the sources said. President Michel Aoun announced parliamentary consultations next Monday to officially name the new prime minister.
Hariri, who resigned in late October amid protests over government corruption and economic hardship, said he would not take part in the new government. Sources said that he had been in contact with the international community and Arab officials “in an effort to avoid Lebanon’s collapse,” but had faced concerns that his caretaker government would be incapable of taking decisions.
“We know that we could be criticized for accepting Khatib before binding consultations, but what can we do?” the sources said. “The main issue is that the situation in the country is no longer tolerable.” With Lebanon facing its worst economic crisis in decades, the next leadership will have to enact urgent reforms and attract foreign support to stave off even worse collapse after years of bad governance and corruption.
Khatib, a highly regarded engineer and businessman, is a newcomer to government and has never held public office. He is executive vice president of Khatib & Alami, a global engineering firm with operations throughout the region, including Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
A spokesman for the Lebanese president said the immediate objective was to “secure broad support for the prime ministerdesignate in order to facilitate the formation of the new government.”