HARIRI BACK IN BEIRUT, SUSPENDS RESIGNATION
beirut — Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced on Wednesday that he was putting his resignation on hold to give way for more consultations, nearly three weeks after he unexpectedly announced he was stepping down.
In conciliatory comments from the Presidential Palace, Hariri said he is putting Lebanon’s interest first and is looking forward to a “real partnership with all political forces to put Lebanon’s higher interest before any other interests.”
He said he presented his resignation to President Michel Aoun at the Presidential Palace, but then responded to Aoun’s request to take more time for consultations, “hoping it will constitute a serious opening for a responsible dialogue”.
“Our beloved nation needs in this critical period exceptional efforts from everyone to protect it in the face of dangers and challenges,” Hariri said after meeting Aoun. He reiterated the need for Lebanon to remain neutral on regional disputes and conflicts “and all that undermines internal stability and brotherly relations with Arab brothers”.
In his resignation from Saudi Arabia, Hariri had said he was protesting what he called the meddling in Arab affairs by Iran and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a partner in the coalition government formed by Hariri a year ago.
Hariri’s reversal appears to be a culmination of nearly three weeks of international pressure for Lebanon’s delicate political balance to hold. It constitutes a win for French President Emanuel Macron, whose mediation succeeded in getting Hariri out of Saudi Arabia to Paris for few days. —
beirut — Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Wednesday he was suspending his surprise resignation, pending talks, providing a potential way out of a political crisis that has rocked the country.
And in a rousing address before large crowds of supporters gathered outside his Beirut home, he pledged he would stay in the country and protect its “stability”.
Lebanon has been thrown into turmoil by Hariri’s November 4 announcement from Saudi Arabia that he was stepping down, as well as his prolonged absence afterwards.
Hours after his arrival back in Beirut, Hariri met with President Michel Aoun, who had refused to accept the premier’s resignation until he returned to Lebanon.
“I discussed my resignation with the president of the republic who asked me to wait before submitting it... and allow for more consultations,” Hariri told reporters afterwards. “I agreed to this request.”
Hariri said he hoped his decision would “allow for a responsible dialogue in a serious manner... that would settle disputes”.
In announcing his resignation, he had levelled harsh criticism at Iran and Hezbollah, saying they had taken over Lebanon and were destabilising the region.
He also said he had been forced to leave Lebanon because of threats to his safety, invoking the 2005 assassination of his father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
But he left the door open to withdrawing the resignation if Hezbollah pulled back from involvement in regional conflicts.
Hariri accuses the group of violating Lebanon’s policy of “disassociation” from regional conflicts by fighting alongside Syria’s government and assisting Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has said the group was open to talks, though whether any real compromise could be reached remained unclear. The decision brings down the temperature after weeks of tensions, and some analysts said it suggested a deal could be in the works to save the consensus government Hariri formed just under a year ago.
“What this is saying, (is) there is still room for backroom discussions and negotiations,” said Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Centre think-tank. —
I’m staying with you... we’re continuing together, to be the first line of defence for Lebanon and its stability. you’re teaching the world loyalty, thank you, thank you, thank you Saad Hariri, Lebanon PM
We’ve been waiting for him for three weeks. We hope he continues the path of the martyr (saad hariri’s father) rafik hariri because Lebanon needs men like this ... and we hope he does not leave Lebanon again Hussein Zaarour, a school teacher and Hariri supporter