Hariri to Paris Match Weekly: We Chose Dialogue for Sake of Stability

Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed on Thursday that dialogue with political parties following the latest political crisis was chosen for the sake of Lebanon's stability, assuring that he was not held against his will in Saudi Arabia and that Hizbullah has a “political role in Lebanon and won't use its arms inside.”

In an interview with French weekly magazine Paris Match, Hariri said he will resume his role as Prime Minister and that he wanted the world to understand that Lebanon “can no longer tolerate the interference of Hizbullah in regional conflicts.”

“I resigned from Riyadh with the intention of creating a positive shock for Lebanon. Many stories have been told on this issue. However, if I had been detained, I would not be here in Beirut today. Before that, I was able to go to Paris, Egypt, Cyprus. I was free,” said Hariri.

“I wanted the world to understand that Lebanon can no longer tolerate the interferences of Hizbullah in the affairs of the Gulf countries, where 300,000 Lebanese live. They are very important for our economy. We must not pay for the actions of Hizbullah,” he added.

On the party's role in Lebanon, the PM said: “We have to make a distinction. In Lebanon, Hizbullah has a political role. It has weapons, of course, but it does not use them on Lebanese soil. Lebanon's interest is to ensure that these weapons are not used elsewhere. That is where the problem comes from.

“I fear that Hizbullah's interference abroad will end up costing Lebanon dearly. I will not accept that a Lebanese political party participates in maneuvers that serve the interests of Iran.”

If he still fears for his life as he announced in his resignation speech, Hariri said: “I have many enemies, the extremists and the Syrian regime. The latter pronounced a death sentence against me.”

Explaining the controversial stances that arose after approving the appointment of a new ambassador to Syria, he said: “We always wanted diplomatic relations with Syria, which for a long time refused to recognize our independence. In 2010, I went to Damascus, and it was finally recognized. To appoint an ambassador is to perpetuate this recognition, whatever the regime in Damascus.”

On the situation in Syria and whether Syrian President Bashar Assad has won the war, the PM said he did not “Presidents Putin and Rouhani won,” he said.