Lebanese cardinal visits Riyadh
Maronite leader plans to meet with Saudi king, Hariri
BEIRUT — The head of Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic community arrived in Saudi Arabia on Monday in the first public visit by a Lebanese official since Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his sudden resignation nine days ago.
Cardinal Bechara el-rai’s visit, the first ever by a Maronite patriarch to the kingdom according to the cardinal, has taken on special significance since Hariri announced his resignation in a surprise statement broadcast from Riyadh on Nov. 4.
The prime minister has not returned to Lebanon since.
El-rai is expected to meet with Hariri, as well as Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad.
Hariri said on Sunday he would return to Lebanon “within days” to resolve issues with the militant group Hezbollah, his rivals in a coalition government formed last year.
El-rai told reporters at Beirut’s international airport that Hariri’s return would restore normalcy in Lebanon.
El-rai heads the Maronite sect, Lebanon’s largest Christian community and the Middle East’s largest Catholic church, which enjoys wide influence in the country.
“The Lebanese people have been waiting for him (Hariri) to return because the situation has come to a stop and the Lebanese people have been unsettled,” el-rai said. “They (the Lebanese) will not rest until he returns so that life returns to normal.”
El-rai and Saudi Charge d’affaires Walid al-bukhari said the kingdom is not likely to deport Lebanese citizens as punishment for the participation of the militant Hezbollah group in Lebanese politics.
Hariri’s office said he met several diplomats in Riyadh on Monday, including the British and German ambassadors.
A White House statement on Saturday described Hariri as “a trusted partner of the United States in strengthening Lebanese institutions, fighting terrorism, and protecting refugees.”
On Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-yves Le Drian said “we are preoccupied by the situation in Lebanon.”