Lebanon: Saad Hariri declars that he open to start PM again, alerting from civil war
Lebanon’s former Prime Minister Saad Hariri reported on Thursday that he was ready to return to the premiership if political parties in the country accepted the French roadmap to recovery for Beirut, however, he alerted from a civil war.
Hariri declared in a televised interview: I will meet with all political sides to find out their stance and approval on the French initiative, and if all sides agree, I will not close the door to becoming prime minister.
Hariri was obliged to move down in the presence of nationwide anti-government protests that broke out in October 2019. After his resignation, Hezbollah and its allies created a so-called technocratic government made up of experts. However the government, directed by Hassan Diab, was unable to make a deal with the International Monetary Fund for obtaining needed aid and the economic crisis increased.
It should be noted that Diab move down after the disastrous Aug. 4 Beirut blasts and protests renewed against corruption and sectarianism in the country.
Hariri expressed his fears on Thursday of a civil war in Lebanon because of the arms outside of the state’s control, such as Hezbollah’s arsenal, and he said: I fear a civil war because what is taking place from military parades and arms in the streets of Beirut, and yesterday in Baalbek-Hermel, portrays the collapse of the state.
Nonetheless the former PM repeated that he was a candidate to direct a new government without a favor from anyone, and he said because I have a parliamentary bloc and it’s known who I am.
About the Lebanon and Israel’s recent agreement to start US-mediated discussions on disputed maritime borders, Hariri said Iran-backed Hezbollah and its Shia ally, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, feared US sanctions. He also reported in an apparent reference to recent US sanctions on Hezbollah’s political allies: There were sanctions on some [individuals] and [they] started looking at ways to protect themselves.
He also appealed Hezbollah to make sacrifices and stop dragging Lebanon into its external problems, like military participation in Syria and Iraq, he added: There is a project to drag Lebanon into a civil war. I am against war. I am against weapons. There are sides inside the country that left us no Gulf or Arab friend… and Hezbollah’s interference in Syria, Iraq and Yemen caused this ordeal for Lebanon.
