Hariri Slams 'Backstabbers', Promises to Reveal Details Soon
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday hit out at “political parties” that allegedly tried to “stab him in the back” during the latest political crisis that followed his surprise resignation announcement from Riyadh.
“We are here today to tell everyone that this movement, Rafik Hariri's movement, the Blue movement, which many have tried to eliminate, remains and continues because it is the movement of truth and justice, because it puts the interest of the country above all other secondary interests. We have no personal interest and no family interest, our only interest is Lebanon,” said Hariri during a meeting at the Center House with a delegation from al-Mustaqbal Movement and Beiruti families.
He added: “The upcoming parliamentary elections are crucial for us as they are for the country as a whole, so we have to work hard as a coherent team to complete Rafik Hariri's path, which is the path of building and developing the country.”
Referring to the crisis of his resignation announcement from Saudi Arabia, which he eventually rescinded, Hariri said: “We have been through a difficult crisis. There are those who wanted to exploit our privileged relations with Saudi Arabia to personally hurt me.”
“There are political parties that tried to find a place for them in this crisis by stabbing me in the back and I will deal with these cases, case by case, but I do not hold grudge against anyone, because I am convinced that the country needs all its people to rise and develop,” the premier added.
Hariri, however, promised to “call things by their names” in a TV interview on LBCI on December 21.
“All of you know who tried to stab us in the back, while they were pretending to defy Hizbullah and Iran's policy. They attacked Hizbullah once and Saad Hariri twenty times and they claimed that they were completing Rafik Hariri's path,” Hariri lamented.
Hariri's Future TV has recently lashed out at ex-minister Ashraf Rifi, ex-MP Fares Soaid and political activist Radwan al-Sayyed, while some members of Hariri's al-Mustaqbal Movement have criticized the Lebanese Forces.
Hariri's resignation announcement plunged Lebanon -- long a proxy battleground for bigger neighbors -- into its worst crisis in years.
Saudi Arabia accuses Iran of using armed proxies such as Hizbullah to advance its interests, from Lebanon to Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
In his resignation statement Hariri accused Tehran and Hizbullah -- which has ministers in the Lebanese government -- of destabilizing the country and region.
But he eventually returned home and agreed to stay on as premier after securing an agreement from Hizbullah that Lebanon should keep out of regional conflicts.
Hariri remained in Riyadh for two weeks after his resignation, fueling speculation that he was being “held hostage.”
A Lebanese source close to the premier told AFP that Riyadh threatened Lebanon with economic sanctions unless he stepped down.
Macron intervened, hosting Hariri to Paris for talks, after which he returned home to a hero's welcome.
Hariri has said that the fragile stability in Lebanon "appeared like a small miracle" given the wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
"The desire of all in Lebanon is to save our democracy," he said.
Source: Naharnet
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