Hariri returns to Saudi Arabia for the first time since his ‘resignation’ sparked a crisis
▶ Prime Minister visits Riyadh after an invitation from King Salman
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri visited Saudi Arabia yesterday for the first time since his abrupt resignation announcement there in November set off a political crisis.
Weeks after the resignation he returned home and rescinded it, drawing a line under the crisis that had raised fears for his country’s economic and political stability.
Mr Hariri, whose coalition government includes Hezbollah, flew to Saudi Arabia late on Tuesday, taking up an invitation from King Salman that was delivered to him by a Saudi envoy in Beirut on Monday.
The Lebanese premier met King Salman during his visit, discussing relations between their two countries, Saudi state news agency SPA reported.
Saudi Arabia accuses the heavily armed Hezbollah militia of waging war across the Middle East as agents of Iran.
Photographs and videos circulated of the king and Mr Hariri in Al Yamama palace.
Mr Hariri became prime minister in 2016 in a political deal that made Hezbollah ally Michel Aoun the President.
Yesterday’s meeting was attended by Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Nayef and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Adel Al Jubeir, among others, SPA reported.
Mr Hariri’s office had previously said he would be meeting the crown prince as well.
Lebanon declared its policy of dissociation in 2012 to keep the deeply divided state out of regional conflicts such as the war in neighbouring Syria. This was reiterated by the government when Mr Hariri returned to Beirut.
On Lebanese television station MTV’s Ring the Bell programme on Monday, where he was quizzed by school pupils, Mr Hariri said he delivered his resignation announcement from Saudi Arabia instead of Lebanon to be more dramatic.
“I saw that there was a big problem for Lebanon, so I decided to take the ball and whistle and get out of the court,” he explained.
“I was afraid for the country and I had to make a positive shock to unite it.”
Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, also a Hezbollah ally, said he had heard “very positive talk” from the Saudi envoy Nizar Al Aloula about Lebanon and “its historical and civilised role” during his visit to Beirut this week.
Lebanon will hold legislative elections on May 6, the country’s first since 2009.