Lebanon’s Hariri shelves resignation, easing crisis
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Saad al-Hariri yesterday shelved his decision to resign as prime minister at the request of President Michel Aoun to allow for dialogue, easing a crisis that had deepened tensions around the Middle East.
Hariri made his announcement after returning to Beirut for the first time since he quit abruptly in a November 4 broadcast from Saudi Arabia.
At the presidential palace near Beirut, Hariri said he hoped this move would open “a new gateway for a responsible dialogue… that deals with divisive issues and their repercussions on Lebanon’s relations with Arab brothers”.
“I presented today my resignation to President Aoun and he urged me to wait before offering it and to hold onto it for more dialogue about its reasons and political background, and I showed responsiveness,” he said.
Hariri said all Lebanese must commit to keeping the country out of regional conflicts, a reference to the powerful, Iran-backed Hezbollah whose regional military role has alarmed Saudi Arabia. it under any circumstances”.
The resignation pitched Lebanon to the forefront of the regional rivalry between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Islamist Iran, which backs Hezbollah.
A long-time Saudi ally, Hariri had cited fear of assassination in his resignation speech, and attacked Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah for sowing strife in the Arab world.
His resignation was followed by a steep escalation in Saudi statements against the Lebanese government, which includes Hezbollah. Riyadh said the Lebanese government as a whole – not just Hezbollah – had declared war against it.
Western governments including the US struck a different tone, affirming their support for Hariri and Lebanon and the stability of the country, which is hosting 1.5 million Syrian refugees – nearly one-in-four of the population.
Ahead of his return to Beirut, Hariri had stressed the importance of the Lebanese state policy of staying out of regional conflicts, notably Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling Iran-backed Houthi fighters.