Hariri meets world leaders in Paris for Lebanon crisis talks
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri meets world leaders for crisis talks in Paris on Friday as Lebanon tries to chart a path through the regional power struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
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© FRANCE 24 screen grab | Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (left) and French President Emmanuel Macron open the talks in Paris on December 8, 2017.
The International Support Group for Lebanon was launched in September 2013, partly in response to the massive influx of refugees entering the country from the conflict in neighbouring Syria.
Friday’s talks are hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who helped Hariri resolve the crisis sparked by his shock resignation, which he announced from Riyadh last month and then rescindedthis week.
Representatives of all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, are attending along with envoys from Germany, Italy and regional powerhouse Egypt.
Kicking off the talks, Macron called on the international community to safeguard the country’s unity and sovereignty. The French president warned both Lebanese parties and foreign powers against dragging the country into the Middle East’s regional conflicts.
“For Lebanon to be protected from crises, it is vital that all Lebanese parties and all regional powers respect the fundamental principle of non-interference,” he said.
The French foreign ministry said the meeting would aim to “support the political process [in Lebanon] at a crucial moment,” adding: “It will send a message both to the various parties in Lebanon and to countries in the region.”
Proxy battleground
Hariri’s resignation announcement on November 4 sent shockwaves through Lebanon, long a proxy battleground for regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Lebanese leader then remained in Riyadh for two weeks, sparking rumours that he was being held hostage by the Saudis.
Saudi Arabia is suspected of pressuring Hariri, a longtime ally, to resign as its simmering regional rivalry with Iran began to escalate this autumn.
Macron intervened to try to defuse the crisis by inviting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which the Lebanese leader returned to Beirut to a hero’s welcome.
In his televised announcement Hariri lambasted Tehran and its ally in the Lebanese government – the powerful armed movement Hezbollah – for destabilising his country.
More broadly, Arab states have denounced Tehran’s growing influence in the region through the use of armed groups as proxies, from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the Houthis in Yemen and others in Syria and Iraq.
Riyadh’s power play paradoxically led the divided Lebanese factions to come together to avoid a political breakdown.
Following consultations with the various political groups in Lebanon, Hariri announced Tuesday that he was withdrawing his resignation.
The Lebanese cabinet issued a joint statement to reaffirm their commitment to staying out of regional conflicts and apparently put 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.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Source:.france24.com