Saad al-Hariri, who sparked a crisis by resigning as Lebanese prime minister on Nov. 4 during a visit to Saudi Arabia, will leave Riyadh for France on Friday, a member of his party said, but will not return directly to Beirut after the visit, APA reports quoting Reuters.
“Today to Paris, this afternoon, and tomorrow a family meeting with (French President Emmanuel) Macron,” Okab Saqr, a member of parliament for Future Movement, told Reuters.
Saqr said that after Hariri’s visit to France, he would have “a small Arab tour” before traveling to Beirut.
Macron, speaking in Sweden, said Hariri “intends to return to his country in the coming days, weeks”.
Hariri’s abrupt resignation while he was in Saudi Arabia and his continued stay there caused fears over Lebanon’s stability and thrust it into the bitter rivalry between Riyadh and Iran.
Saudi Arabia and its allies are fighting for sway across the region against a bloc led by Iran, which includes the heavily armed Lebanese Shi‘ite Hezbollah group.
In Lebanon, Hariri has long been an ally of Riyadh. His coalition government, formed in a political deal last year to end years of paralysis, includes Hezbollah.
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