Lebanon’s Hariri says he will hold off on resigning as Prime Minister
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Wednesday said he would withhold presenting his resignation to allow for further dialogue as requested by President Michel Aoun.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Wednesday said he would withhold presenting his resignation to allow for further dialogue as requested by President Michel Aoun.
“Today, I presented 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,” Hariri said in a televised statement.
Hariri returned to Lebanon late on Tuesday, on the eve of Lebanon’s Independence Day after spending almost three weeks abroad and surprisingly resigning from Riyadh.
On Nov. 4, Hariri announced in his resignation in a televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia, saying he feared for his life and fiercely criticized Iran.
He accused Tehran of spreading fear and destruction in some countries in the Middle East, including Lebanon.
“We are living in a climate similar to the atmosphere that prevailed before the assassination of martyr Rafik al-Hariri,” he said at the time. “I have sensed what is being plotted covertly to target my life.”
His father, Rafik al-Hariri, who was the former Prime Minister of Lebanon, was assassinated in 2005.
Hariri has been the Premier since Dec. 2016. He previously held the position, from 2009 to 2011.
Editing by Nadia Riva