Premier postpones resignation in blow to Saudi maneuver
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced Wednesday that he was putting his resignation on hold to give way for more consultations, nearly three weeks after he unexpectedly announced he was stepping down.
It was a quick reversal — a day after his return to Lebanon — and a likely embarrassment to Saudi Arabia, which was widely seen as having orchestrated his resignation.
In conciliatory comments from the presidential palace, Hariri said he is putting Lebanon’s interest first and is looking forward to a “real partnership with all political forces to put Lebanon’s higher interest before any other interests.”
He said he presented his resignation to President Michel Aoun at the presidential palace, but then responded to Aoun’s request to take more time for consultations, “hoping it will constitute a serious opening for a responsible dialogue.”
“Our beloved nation needs in this critical period exceptional efforts from everyone to protect it in the face of dangers and challenges,” Hariri said in a statement after meeting with Aoun.
He reiterated the need for Lebanon to remain neutral on regional disputes and conflicts “and all that undermines internal stability and brotherly relations with Arab brothers.”
Hariri’s reversal highlights the latest Saudi foreign policy overreach under its young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is seen as being behind most of the country’s major decisions.
Under the bullish crown prince, who has the blessing of his father King Salman, Saudi Arabia has taken a much harder line against Iran, which has successfully spread its influence in the Arab region in recent years.
The crown prince, who is also defense minister, has a reputation for being both decisive and impulsive. He has led Saudi Arabia into a nearly three-year-long war in Yemen to try and push back Iranian-allied rebels there.
In his mysterious resignation from Saudi Arabia, Hariri had said he was protesting what he called the meddling in Arab affairs by Iran, the Persian regional powerhouse, and its Lebanese ally, Hezbollah. Hezbollah is a partner in the coalition government formed by Hariri a year ago.
The televised resignation had sparked a political and diplomatic crisis as Lebanese officials accused the Gulf kingdom of pressuring the Sunni, Saudi-aligned politician to resign.