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BEIRUT, Lebanon — Saad Hariri of Lebanon pulled back on Wednesday from his resignation as prime minister, another surprise move that seemed to bring to a close a three-week international drama and to stem the threat of new political turmoil in the country.
Mr. Hariri, speaking from the Presidential Palace in Lebanon during celebrations of the country’s Independence Day, said he had agreed to delay his resignation to allow for dialogue with other political leaders about the relations with the rest of the region.
Mr. Hariri had announced his resignation suddenly from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Nov. 4, saying that he had fled an assassination plot. He also warned that Iran was behind unrest in the region and said that Tehran’s “hands” would be “cut off.”
His abrupt departure from Lebanon, uncharacteristically direct language, and the fact that he did not inform even his closest aides of his intention to resign convinced many Lebanese, as well as Western diplomats, that Saudi Arabia had forced Mr. Hariri to announce his resignation. The moved appeared to be an effort to try to isolate Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political party, by collapsing the government it participates in with Mr. Hariri.
The machinations were widely seen as part of the increasingly tense rivalry between Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Arab kingdom, and Iran, which is majority Shiite Muslim, that has been playing out across much of the Middle East.
A television interview with Mr. Hariri in Riyadh in which he denied that he had been forced to quit — and during which he appeared tired and scowled at a mysterious person onscreen who was apparently trying to get his attention — only broadened speculation that he was being held against his will.
After brief visits to France, Egypt and Cyprus in recent days, Mr. Hariri returned to Beirut, the Lebanese capital, late Tuesday and prayed at the tomb of his father, Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister who was killed in a truck bombing in Beirut in 2005.
On Wednesday, Mr. Hariri said he had tendered his resignation to President Michel Aoun, who had asked him to hold off to allow for dialogue about its reasons. Mr. Hariri said he had agreed to the request.
“I confirm my complete commitment to cooperation with his excellency the president,” Mr. Hariri said. He added that he sought to “protect” Lebanon from “the surrounding wars and fires and all their ramifications.”
The talks would address “divisive issues and their effects on Lebanon’s relations with the Arab brothers,” he said, without providing further detail.
No questions were allowed from journalists at the announcement. It was unclear what form the dialogue would take or when it would begin.
Hezbollah’s activities in the region are contentious in Lebanon, a relatively small country with a complicated, sect-based political system that is heavily influenced by foreign powers.
Mr. Aoun, a Maronite Christian, is an ally of Hezbollah domestically, and his party does not generally speak out against Hezbollah’s activities outside of Lebanon. Mr. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, leads a movement that has opposed the foreign military expeditions of Hezbollah, a Shiite grouping.
Saudi Arabia considers Iran, and its allies like Hezbollah, the greatest threat to the region’s stability. Mr. Hariri holds dual Saudi-Lebanese citizenship and has longstanding political and economic ties to the kingdom.
Saad Hariri Steps Back From Resignation in Lebanon
Mr. Hariri, speaking from the Presidential Palace in Lebanon during celebrations of the country’s Independence Day, said he had agreed to delay his resignation to allow for dialogue with other political leaders about the relations with the rest of the region.
Mr. Hariri had announced his resignation suddenly from the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Nov. 4, saying that he had fled an assassination plot. He also warned that Iran was behind unrest in the region and said that Tehran’s “hands” would be “cut off.”
His abrupt departure from Lebanon, uncharacteristically direct language, and the fact that he did not inform even his closest aides of his intention to resign convinced many Lebanese, as well as Western diplomats, that Saudi Arabia had forced Mr. Hariri to announce his resignation. The moved appeared to be an effort to try to isolate Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia and political party, by collapsing the government it participates in with Mr. Hariri.
The machinations were widely seen as part of the increasingly tense rivalry between Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Arab kingdom, and Iran, which is majority Shiite Muslim, that has been playing out across much of the Middle East.
A television interview with Mr. Hariri in Riyadh in which he denied that he had been forced to quit — and during which he appeared tired and scowled at a mysterious person onscreen who was apparently trying to get his attention — only broadened speculation that he was being held against his will.
After brief visits to France, Egypt and Cyprus in recent days, Mr. Hariri returned to Beirut, the Lebanese capital, late Tuesday and prayed at the tomb of his father, Rafik Hariri, a former prime minister who was killed in a truck bombing in Beirut in 2005.
On Wednesday, Mr. Hariri said he had tendered his resignation to President Michel Aoun, who had asked him to hold off to allow for dialogue about its reasons. Mr. Hariri said he had agreed to the request.
“I confirm my complete commitment to cooperation with his excellency the president,” Mr. Hariri said. He added that he sought to “protect” Lebanon from “the surrounding wars and fires and all their ramifications.”
The talks would address “divisive issues and their effects on Lebanon’s relations with the Arab brothers,” he said, without providing further detail.
No questions were allowed from journalists at the announcement. It was unclear what form the dialogue would take or when it would begin.
Hezbollah’s activities in the region are contentious in Lebanon, a relatively small country with a complicated, sect-based political system that is heavily influenced by foreign powers.
Mr. Aoun, a Maronite Christian, is an ally of Hezbollah domestically, and his party does not generally speak out against Hezbollah’s activities outside of Lebanon. Mr. Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, leads a movement that has opposed the foreign military expeditions of Hezbollah, a Shiite grouping.
Saudi Arabia considers Iran, and its allies like Hezbollah, the greatest threat to the region’s stability. Mr. Hariri holds dual Saudi-Lebanese citizenship and has longstanding political and economic ties to the kingdom.
Saad Hariri Steps Back From Resignation in Lebanon
