Lebanon’s absent leader to travel to France, officials say
French president issued invitation
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s absent prime minister has accepted an invitation for an official visit to France, French and Lebanese diplomats said Thursday, nearly two weeks after his abrupt resignation stirred rumors that he was being held captive in the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian met with Saad Hariri on Thursday in Riyadh and said the prime minister would go to Paris “soon.”
The announcement increased the mystery of the circumstances of Mr. Hariri’s shocking decision to quit his post this month. His resignation — which he blamed on pressure from Iran and its Lebanese Shiite proxy, Hezbollah — stunned Lebanon and the region and raised fears the country would plunge into factional turmoil.
But Lebanese officials have said that Mr. Hariri, who is a dual Lebanese-Saudi citizen, had been forced to resign by Saudi authorities and was unable to move or speak freely from Riyadh. Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun, said Wednesday that Mr. Hariri was a “hostage.” Later, Mr. Aoun told visiting politicians that he expected Mr. Hariri to arrive in Paris on Saturday, Lebanese media reported. The visit appeared aimed at defusing tensions and could pave the way for Mr. Hariri to officially submit his resignation in person in Beirut, officials said.
The flurry of diplomacy capped nearly two weeks of political chaos and speculation over Mr. Hariri’s fate, which threatened to upset the delicate powersharing agreement on which Lebanon’s government is formed. The pact divides political power among Christians and Sunni and Shiite Muslims.
Mr. Hariri, a Sunni and ally of Saudi Arabia, was appointed prime minister a year ago after months of political deadlock. The Lebanese constitution says the prime minister must be Sunni, the president must be Christian and the speaker of parliament should be a Shiite Muslim.
But as Iran, which is Shiite, and Saudi Arabia, which is Sunni, have competed for influence in the region, the threat of upheaval in Lebanon has intensified. Iran has long backed Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful political and military movement.
The Saudi government has sought to bolster Mr. Hariri and his Sunni bloc in Lebanon and have fought what Saudi officials claim are Iranian proxy forces in Yemen. Iran denies having direct links to the Houthi forces in Yemen that drove out the Saudi-backed president in 2015.
On Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel alJubeir rejected accusations that his government had abducted Mr. Hariri. French President Emmanuel Macron had extended the invitation for the visit on Wednesday but stressed that it was not an offer of political exile. Mr. Macron stepped in, a former adviser said, amid an American diplomatic vacuum in the region.