Lebanese PM: Stability comes first
Hariri reassures bankers country’s issues priority
BEIRUT — Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri assured regional bankers on Thursday that Lebanon’s stability was his top concern, one day after walking back his shocking resignation that threw his country into turmoil.
Hariri, speaking at the Arab Banking Conference in Beirut, said his government was going to prioritize Lebanon’s interests over regional challenges and stressed a return to the country’s official policy of “disassociation,” or neutrality in regional affairs.
“Our primary concern in Lebanon is stability, and that is what we are going to focus on,” said Hariri.
Hariri stunned Lebanon and the region by resigning Nov. 4 while in Saudi Arabia, raising fears of market panic and recession.
But he told President Michel Aoun on Wednesday, Lebanon’s Independence Day, that he would stay on to allow for “consultations” that would seek to safeguard the tiny country’s delicate political system, stretched by competing agendas in Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi Arabia is seen as the guardian of Lebanon’s Sunnis and is a main sponsor of its national government and military. Iran sponsors Lebanon’s Shiites and mostly funnels its funds and interests through the militant group Hezbollah.
The market fears were not realized, but the events pushed the debate over foreign influence — and Hezbollah’s formidable influence in Lebanon and the region — to the forefront of Lebanese politics.
“We must look at all means to reach the point where Lebanon stands back (from regional affairs), in practice, and not just in rhetoric,” Hariri said at the banking conference.
Weighing in on Thursday, Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard chief, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said the issue of Hezbollah’s arms is “non-negotiable.” He said Lebanon remains Israel’s first target, adding that therefore Hezbollah should be armed against it to maintain security in Lebanon.
“It is natural that Hezbollah should be equipped with the best weapons for its security. This issue is not negotiable, and all of Lebanon, except a number of little puppets, support the arming of Hezbollah,” he said, according to comments in the Iranian semi-official Fars news agency.