Politics
22:15, 17-Nov-2017
Lebanon’s Hariri leaves Saudi Arabia for France, meet Macron
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Saad Hariri, who resigned as Lebanese prime minister, has left Saudi Arabia for France on Friday, after allegations from Hariri's political rivals back home that he was essentially being held hostage by the Saudi authorities.
Hariri is due to meet French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Saturday noon, according to the French leader's office.
Macron extended this invitation on Wednesday, just hours after Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said that nothing justified the apparent detention of Hariri in Saudi Arabia.
However, the Elysee Palace did not say how long Hariri would stay in France.
Hariri has not returned to Lebanon since he announced his resignation in a television statement on November 4.
In his statement, Hariri said he was stepping down because he feared for his life while also accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of destabilizing his nation.