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News > World

Saad Hariri to Hold off on Resignation, Allow Dialogue

  • Lebanon's prime minister Saad al-Hariri gestures during a press conference in parliament building at downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 9, 2017.

    Lebanon's prime minister Saad al-Hariri gestures during a press conference in parliament building at downtown Beirut, Lebanon October 9, 2017. | Photo: Reuters

Published 21 November 2017
Opinion

The prime minister, who announced his resignation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, announced that he would withhold his resignation to allow further dialogue.

Hariri unexpectedly arrived in Beirut, three weeks after his resignation for alleged pressure and threats against him. 

The minister's plane landed at the capital's international airport where the national and international press was waiting for him, to whom he did not offer any statements. Upon leaving the airport, he went to a group of escorted vehicles.

Related: Hariri Announces Return to Lebanon as Crisis Simmers

However, Prime Minister Hariri broke his silence after a meeting with President Michel Aoun, where he said that he would hold off on his resignation until more dialogue could take place to explain his reasoning.

“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,” Hariri said in a televised statement.

Hariri's mysterious decision to step down — which the president Michel Aoun has refused to accept while Hariri remained abroad — has raised fears over Lebanon's fragile democracy. His failure to return to Lebanon initially had sparked rumors he was being held in Riyadh against his will, which both he and Saudi officials have since denied.

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