Lebanese prime minister meets Macron after mysterious Saudi stay
The New York Times
PARIS — Lebanon’s absent prime minister arrived in France on Saturday morning after two weeks in Saudi Arabia, a mysterious stay that touched off intense speculation that he was being held against his will.
The prime minister, Saad Hariri, who has not publicly explained the nature of his stay in Saudi Arabia, met with the French president, Emmanuel Macron, for lunch at the Élysée Palace and confirmed that he would travel to Beirutlater this week.
The meeting with Mr. Macroncame hours after a phone call between Mr. Macron and the Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, the French president’soffice said. Officials said Mr. Aoun had thanked Mr. Macron for “France’s actions in favor of Lebanon” and confirmed that Mr. Hariri would be in Beirut for Lebanon’s Independence Day holiday, whichis Wednesday.
Mr. Hariri later said in statements to the news media that he would announce his position on the crisis in his country after holding talks with Mr. Aoun.
“As you know, I have resigned and we will speak about this matter there,” Mr. Hariri told reporters, referring to Lebanon, as he was leaving the Élysée Palace, where he met with Mr. Macron for over 30 minutes, before gathering for lunch with his wife, their oldest son and Mr. Macron’s wife.
After the meeting, officials in the French president’s office announced that Mr. Macron was considering gathering in Paris the members of the United Nations International Support Group for Lebanon, although no specific datewas given.
French officials refused to say whether Mr. Hariri had explained to Mr. Macron the reason for his mysterious stay in Saudi Arabia or the circumstances around the announcement of his resignation.
Mr. Hariri’s office said earlier Saturday that his wife, Lara, and their son Houssam would be present at the lunch in the Lebanese prime minister’s honor at the Élysée Palace. Mr. Hariri’s wife had accompanied him on the flight from Saudi Arabia, and his son was said to have flownin from Britain.
Mr. Hariri’s two younger children, 16-year-old daughter Loulwa and 12-year-old sonAbdulaziz, did not appear in television footage of his arrival. The two have been attending school in Saudi Arabiaand could have stayed behind for that reason, but their apparent absence was an obstacle to ending concerns that Mr. Hariri was not acting freely. It left room for speculation that the Saudis had pressured Mr. Hariri to leave them in the country as leverage.
Mr. Hariri announced Nov. 4 from Riyadh, the Saudi capital, that he was stepping down as Lebanon’s prime minister, but officials in Lebanon have said his departure would not take effect until he delivered his resignation in person in Beirut.
Mr. Hariri’s unexpected trip and resignation unsettled the Middle East, setting off a political crisis in Lebanon and even raising fears of war. Mr. Hariri said he feared for his safety in Lebanon.