BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri said Thursday that he was “serious” about holding dialogue with Hezbollah in the interest of Lebanon, but would not back down over the party’s intervention in Syria, renewing calls for Hezbollah to withdraw its forces.

“I am with dialogue and not just for the sake of dialogue but for the sake of the country,” he said.

But there will be major points of contention between the Future Movement leader and Hezbollah, Hariri said, blaming Hezbollah’s intervention in Syria for the deterioration of Lebanon’s security.