Lebanese PM Hariri's resignation on hold after talks with Aoun
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has temporarily put his resignation on hold following a request by President Michel Aoun for him to reconsider the decision.
“I presented my resignation to President Aoun today and he urged me to wait” for more dialogue and “I showed responsiveness to this hope,” Hariri said following his meeting with Aoun in Beirut on Wednesday.
The premier also underlined his commitment to cooperation with President Aoun.
Hariri stunned the entire nation on November 4, when he announced his resignation in a statement broadcast from Saudi Arabia and plunged his homeland into a new political crisis.
Top Lebanese officials accused, Saudi Arabia of forcing his resignation and detaining him in the kingdom for days before letting him leave.
The premier finally returned home late on Tuesday after visits to France, Cyprus and Egypt.
Earlier today, Hariri along with President Aoun and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri attended a military parade to mark the country’s Independence Day, which brought an end to the French mandate over the country 74 years ago.
After the parade, Hariri attended a meeting with Aoun and Berri.
Hariri is expected to meet with supporters at his residence in downtown Beirut at 1100 GMT upon the invitation of his Future Movement Party.
Before his return, Hariri had promised to explain his views on the crisis in the country.
Hariri citied many reasons, including the security situation in Lebanon, for his sudden decision. He also said that he sensed a plot being hatched against his life.
He accused Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement of meddling in Arab countries’ affairs; an allegation the two have repeatedly denied.
Analysts say Hariri, a close Riyadh ally, was forced by his Saudi patron to resign as he refused to adopt a confrontational approach against Hezbollah, a powerful political party which is part of the Hariri-led coalition government.
After days of confusion about Hariri’s situation in Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese premier and his wife arrived in the French capital, Paris, on Saturday, but two of his children stayed behind in Riyadh.
In Paris, Hariri held talks with Macron, who had invited the Lebanese politician to the European country in an attempt to lower the tensions that erupted after his abrupt resignation.
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