Jerusalem move 'new challenge to regional stability'

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Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri has criticized US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, saying it poses a new challenge to the already tense situation in the Middle East.

"It complicates the peace process even more (between Israel and the Palestinians) and creates a new challenge to regional security," he said.

"In the name of the Lebanese people, I can only repeat our rejection of this decision."

French President Emmanuel Macron also appealed for calm, saying Trump's decision should not "add to the instability of the region. I'm issuing a call for calm and responsibility by everyone which is essential for the efforts we are undertaking here."

The two leaders made the remarks during the Lebanon International Support Group meeting in Paris on Friday.

Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, French President Emmanuel Macron, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian, and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attend the Lebanon International Support Group meeting in Paris, France, December 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo‍

Hosted by the French president, who helped Hariri resolve the crisis sparked by his shock resignation, which he announced from Riyadh last month and then rescinded this week, the meeting aims to discuss economic and humanitarian support for the former French territory.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with Germany, Italy and Egypt, also attended the meeting.

Opening the meeting, Macron said it was "essential that all of the parties in Lebanon and regional actors respect the cardinal principle of non-interference" in the affairs of other countries.

"The meeting today must show the will of international community to see the policy of regional disassociation put into place effectively by all in the country." Macron said.

Proxy battleground

Saudi Arabia was suspected of pressuring Hariri, a longtime ally, to resign on November 4 as part of its attempts to counter growing Iranian influence in the region.

In an unusual televised resignation statement made from Riyadh, Hariri lambasted Tehran and its Lebanese ally, the powerful armed movement Hezbollah, for destabilizing his country.

French President Emmanuel Macron looks over at Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri as they attend the Lebanon International Support Group meeting in Paris, France, December 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo

A Lebanese source close to Hariri told AFP that the prime minister traveled to Riyadh believing he was going to discuss economic projects but instead "found himself faced with a list of economic sanctions brandished by the Saudis against Lebanon."

Saudi Arabia and other Arab states accuse Iran of using armed proxies such as Hezbollah to expand its influence in the region, from Lebanon to Yemen to Syria and Iraq. Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks after his resignation speech, fueling speculation that he was being held hostage.

Macron then intervened, inviting him to Paris for talks, after which Hariri returned home to a hero's welcome.

"Lebanon's stability is not only crucial for its inhabitants but for the entire region," Macron said Friday, demanding that the sovereignty of the small multi-faith country, long a proxy battleground between its bigger neighbors, be respected.

Hariri said the fragile stability enjoyed by his country, which neighbors Syria, "appeared like a small miracle" in a region plagued by conflict.

"The desire of all in Lebanon is to save our democracy," he said.

Power play backfires

French President Emmanuel Macron greets Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri as they arrive to attend the Lebanon International Support Group meeting in Paris, France, December 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Hasni Abidi of the Geneva-based CERMAM research Center, which specializes in Arab affairs, described the gathering as "a sort of consecration, a re-legitimization for Mr. Hariri."

"The international community is validating a return to normal for Hariri," he told AFP.

Riyadh's power play paradoxically led divided Lebanese factions to come together in order to avoid a political breakdown.

After consultations with various parties, including Hezbollah, Hariri announced Tuesday that he was withdrawing his resignation. His cabinet members issued a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to "dissociation" from regional conflicts, apparently putting an end to the month-long Hariri saga.

After Friday's talks Hariri will give a joint press briefing with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Amina Mohammed, the UN deputy secretary-general.

The International Support Group for Lebanon, which will meet in Paris on Friday, was launched in September 2013 partly in response to the huge influx of refugees from the conflict in neighboring Syria.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters