Lebanon's Hariri leaves for Riyadh on first visit since 'resignation'
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri left for Riyadh late on Tuesday, his media office said, for his first to the Saudi capital since he abruptly resigned there in November; Reuters reported.
A statement by Hariri’s media office said he was responding to an invitation from Saudi envoy Nizar al-Aloula, whom he met in Beirut on Monday. It said Hariri would meet Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The premier last traveled to the kingdom on Nov. 3 and unexpectedly resigned in a televised statement a day later. Lebanese officials accused Saudi Arabia of forcing Hariri, its long-time ally, to quit and putting him under effective house arrest until France intervened. Riyadh has denied this.
He returned home weeks later and withdrew his resignation, drawing a line under the crisis that had raised fears for Lebanon’s economic and political stability.
The crisis thrust Lebanon onto the frontline of a Middle East contest for power, pitting a Saudi-led bloc against Iran and its allies that include the Lebanese Shi‘ite Hezbollah movement.
After his return, Hariri’s coalition government, which includes Hezbollah, reaffirmed a state policy of staying out of conflicts in the Arab world.
END