I will be back in Lebanon in days — Hariri
Says if he rescinds his decision to quit, Hezbollah must stay out of regional conflicts
Says if he rescinds his decision to quit, Hezbollah must respect Beirut’s policy and stay out of regional conflicts |
Sa’ad Hariri, who announced on November 4 from Saudi Arabia that he was quitting as Lebanon’s prime minister, suggested yesterday he could rescind his resignation.
Speaking from Riyadh in an interview with Future TV, a station affiliated with his political party, Hariri said he planned to return to Lebanon to confirm his resignation in accordance with the constitution.
But he also said that if he rescinds his decision to quit, the Hezbollah movement must respect Lebanon’s policy of staying out of regional conflicts.
Hariri said he would return to his country within days.
He said he had offered his resignation in the interest of Lebanon.
He also said Lebanon could face Arab sanctions.
Lebanon’s president has refused to accept the resignation until he returns.
Earlier, Hariri’s Future Movement political party said it stands by him and was “waiting impatiently for his return to Lebanon to handle his national responsibilities in leading this stage.”
On Saturday Lebanon’s president called on Saudi Arabia to clarify why Hariri could not return home.
A senior Lebanese official told Reuters that President Michel Aoun had told foreign ambassadors Hariri had been “kidnapped”.
Riyadh and Hariri both vehemently deny the charge.
Hariri’s resignation has thrust the country back into the frontline of a power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran—a rivalry that has wrought upheaval in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Bahrain.