Lebanon’s ‘detained’ prime minister to travel to France

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Lebanon's former prime minister Saad Hariri will travel to France "in the coming days," a French presidential source said Wednesday, after Beirut accused Saudi Arabia of detaining him following his shock resignation.

International pressure has been mounting for Hariri to return to Beirut after his prolonged stay in the kingdom since he announced in a televised speech from Riyadh on November 4 that he would be stepping down, tipping his country into crisis.

The French presidency said Hariri and his family had been "invited" to France after President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone with both Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Lebanese prime minister.

Saad Hariri, son of slain former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, attended the trial into his father’s assassination on January 16, 2014. /AFP photo

Hariri "should arrive in France in the coming days," a source at the French presidency told AFP.

Macron later told reporters Hariri had been invited to France for a "few days" with his family, and that did not mean exile.

The development came as French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian arrived in Riyadh where he met Prince Mohammed late Wednesday. He is due to hold talks with Hariri on Thursday.

Speculation has swirled around the fate of Hariri, who is a Saudi citizen and grew up in the kingdom, with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun accusing Saudi Arabia of "detaining" him.

There have been rumors that Hariri had been detained along with dozens of Saudis in what Riyadh says is an anti-corruption campaign.

Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad Hariri greets his supporters after casting his ballot at a polling station during Beirut's municipal elections, Lebanon, May 8, 2016. /Reuters Photo‍

Hariri said that he had freedom of movement and would return to Lebanon in the coming days, during his first media appearance since he stepped down.

European nations and the US have not pointed the finger at Saudi authorities directly, but have expressed public concern about Hariri's absence and warned against attempts to interfere in Lebanon's fragile democracy.

Lebanon has been buffeted for decades by conflicts between bigger players in the region such as Iran and Syria.

"What's at stake is Mr Hariri being able to return home freely to clarify his situation in line with the Lebanese constitution," French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe told parliament in Paris.

Source(s): AFP