Saad Hariri says he is free in Saudi Arabia

International Desk: Saad Hariri has rejected rumours he is being held in Saudi Arabia against his will and pledged to return to Beirut "very soon" to affirm his decision to quit as Lebanon's prime minister.

Hariri made the comments from Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh, speaking publicly for the first time since his shock resignation eight days ago.

Speaking on Sunday on Future TV, a station affiliated with his political party, Hariri said he was free in Saudi Arabia.

"Here in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I am free. I have complete freedom, but I want to look after my family as well," he said, adding that he planned to return to Lebanon in the near future.

"I'm not talking about months ... I'm only talking about days and I'll go back to Lebanon."
In an unexpected move, Hariri, a Sunni Muslim politician and longtime ally of Saudi Arabia, quit as Lebanon's prime minister on November 4 during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Reading out his resignation in a televised statement from Riyadh, Hariri blamed interference in Lebanon by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah for his decision to quit, adding he feared an assassination attempt. His father, Rafiq Hariri, was killed in a truck bomb blast in 2005.

But Lebanese officials have said Hariri is likely to be under either house arrest or in temporary detention in Riyadh.

Hariri's resignation, just 11 months after he took office, has plunged Lebanon in uncertainty, threatening the country's fragile political stability and raising concerns over an open-ended crisis.

It has also stoked fears of an escalation in the regional divide between Iran and the Gulf states, primarily Saudi Arabia, with Lebanon on the front lines.

Source: Agencies



risingbd/Nov 13, 2017/Mukul