Hariri Returns to Beirut after 3-Year Absence, Discusses with Salam Saudi Aid
Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri made on Friday a surprise return to Beirut and met with Premier Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail to discuss a Saudi military aid.
Hariri left Lebanon in early 2011, months after the collapse of his national unity cabinet. He has repeatedly claimed that security reasons were preventing his return to Beirut.
A statement issued by his press office said the Mustaqbal chief arrived in Beirut from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at dawn Friday.
He visited the grave of his father ex-PM Rafik Hariri in downtown Beirut and then headed for talks with Salam, it added.
Salam's press office said Hariri briefed the prime minister on a decision by Saudi King Abdullah to provide the Lebanese army with an additional $1 billion in aid.
The discussions focused on a mechanism to spend the donation, it added.
The funds are separate from the $3 billion Saudi Arabia pledged in December to help strengthen Lebanon's armed forces with the purchase of weapons from France.
Hariri left the Grand Serail after the 50-minute talks without making any statement.
But during a chat with several reporters, he said he “came to Lebanon on a visit during the current stage particularly after the (latest) Saudi donation.”
“My visit will be long,” he added.
Several Lebanese officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri and Kataeb Party chief Amin Gemayel, telephoned Hariri to congratulate him on his return.
After his Grand Serail meeting, Hariri went to the Center House where he held talks with top March 14 officials and ambassadors.
His arrival to Beirut has a huge significance. It came amid a rising terrorist threat in the country after jihadists took over the northeastern border town of Arsal.
The militants withdrew on Thursday. But Arsal's seizure marked the first time that extremists battling Syrian President Bashar Assad's troops carried out a large-scale incursion into Lebanon.
G.K.
H.K.
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