Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri told his supporters on Wednesday he would stay with them, after suspending his resignation in a move that eased a major political crisis.
‘I am staying with you and will continue with you…to be a line of defense for Lebanon, Lebanon’s stability and Lebanon’s Arabism,’ he said to hundreds of people gathered outside his house in central Beirut.
Earlier on Wednesday he said he would hold off presenting his resignation in response to a request from President Michel Aoun to allow more dialogue.
‘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 had returned to his home country on Tuesday after a nearly three-week absence dominated by his announcement of a surprise resignation on November 4 while on a trip to Saudi Arabia.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, center, put his resignation on hold on Wednesday to allow more dialogue with President Michel Aoun
Lebanese President Michel Aoun, center, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, right, and Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, left, attend a military parade to mark the 74th anniversary of Lebanon’s independence from France in downtown Beirut on Wednesday
He said in his announcement on Wednesday that he would take more time for consultations, ‘hoping it will constitute a serious introduction for (national) dialogue.’
‘Our beloved nation needs in this critical period exceptional efforts from everyone to protect it in the face of dangers and challenges,’ Hariri said in a statement from the presidential palace.
He reiterated the need for Lebanon to remain neutral on regional disputes and conflicts ‘and all that undermines internal stability and brotherly relations with Arab brothers.’
He stood down from his post in a televised address on November 4 from Saudi Arabia and then remained in Riyadh amid rumours he was being held hostage.
Hariri’s plane touched down at Beirut international airport shortly before midnight and head of independence day celebrations on Wednesday, his office said.
Earlier on Tuesday he travelled to Cairo to see Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, whom he thanked for his support for Lebanon.
Hours later, Hariri flew from the Egyptian capital Cairo to Larnaca in Cyprus where he met late at night with President Nicos Anastasiades.
Lebanese Government, Lebanese President Michel Aoun, left, meets with Prime Minister Saad Hariri, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday
After a brief visit he flew on to Beirut, where took part in the independence day military parade early Wednesday and the customary reception at the presidential palace.
Hariri’s Future Movement called on supporters to gather at his home in downtown Beirut on Wednesday afternoon.
A dual Saudi citizen who has previously enjoyed Riyadh’s backing, Hariri resigned in a mysterious broadcast from the Saudi capital, accusing arch-rival Iran and its powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah of destabilising his country.
But President Michel Aoun has yet to accept Hariri’s resignation, insisting that he present it in person once back in the Lebanese capital.
During Hariri’s two-week stay in Riyadh, Aoun accused Saudi authorities of holding him ‘hostage’ and demanded that he enjoy freedom of movement.
After mediation efforts by Egypt and France – which held former mandate power over Lebanon – the 47-year-old premier left Riyadh on Saturday.
He had headed to Paris for talks with President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday.
Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri touched down in Beirut on Tuesday night, marking his return to the country after a nearly three-week absence
Hariri has promised to ‘clarify’ his position after he tendered his resignation while visiting Riyadh amid rumours he was forced into it and being held hostage
Hariri’s resignation from outside the country is unprecedented in Lebanese history.
Under Lebanon’s constitution, the president is bound to accept a premier’s resignation however it is tendered, constitutional expert Edmond Rizk said.
Although it is not outlined in the constitution, Rizk said, custom dictates ‘this resignation is supposed to be submitted to the president of the republic’.
Hariri’s arrival came just hours before Lebanon starts independence day celebrations in which he will play a key role
A resignation brings down the government, and the president then engages in consultations to select a new prime minister to form a cabinet.
In Lebanon, divided for more than a decade between a pro-Saudi camp and a Tehran-backed alliance, that process typically takes months of political wrangling.
But the discussions also aim to strike a balance between the country’s diverse religious communities.
As part of Lebanon’s presidential-parliamentary system, the premier must be a Sunni Muslim, the president a Maronite Christian and the speaker of parliament a Shiite.
More than a week ago, Hariri said he could walk back from his resignation if Hezbollah withdrew from regional conflicts, including Syria.
Hezbollah, whose forces are fighting in neighbouring Syria along government troops, said it still considers Hariri the current premier.
‘When he comes, we will see. We’re open to all dialogue and discussion,’ its chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Monday.
But if Hariri does quit in the future, Aoun has two options: either rename him premier or choose another prominent Sunni figure to lead a new cabinet.
Uncertainty reigns over Hariri’s position after President Michel Aoun refused to accept his resignation, insisting he must present it in person
Earlier in the day Hariri had visited Egypt (pictured) before flying to Cyprus and arrived in the Lebanese capital shortly before midnight
‘If Hariri’s consultations lead to a new government, that would be a way out,’ said Rizk.
Aoun tipped Hariri as premier in 2016, as part of a deal across political lines that ended a two-and-a-half year stalemate in Lebanon.
Hariri’s two terms as prime minister have both ended abruptly.
In January 2011, as he was meeting with then-US president Barack Obama in Washington, Hezbollah and its allies withdrew their ministers and collapsed Hariri’s government.
His unexpected resignation earlier this month was seen as part of an escalating power struggle between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, which back opposing sides in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen.
On the day Hariri resigned, the Saudi kingdom said it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Tehran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen at Riyadh.
The announcement also coincided with a purge of more than 200 Saudi princes, ministers and businessmen.