Khazen

Lebanese president hopes ex-prime minister’s visit to France will end political crisis

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, left, meets with recently resigned Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri at the latter’s residence in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.  (RANIA SANJAR / AFP/GETTY IMAGES) by reuters – BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Saad al-Hariri is expected to leave Saudi Arabia for France within 48 hours, before flying home to Beirut to […]

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AP Exclusive: Lebanese PM’s brother breaks silence

By Zeina Karam | AP November 15 at 2:44 PM BEIRUT — Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s older brother broke his silence Wednesday over the premier’s mysterious resignation, saying he supports his brother’s decision to step down over the “growing demands and actions of Hezbollah.” In his first public statement, sent to The Associated Press, Bahaa Hariri blasted […]

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Busy diplomat Macron gets stuck into Lebanon crisis

By Valérie LEROUX, Katy Lee (AFP)  – From global warming to Iran’s nuclear deal, France’s Emmanuel Macron has already intervened in a series of diplomatic quagmires — and now finds himself pursuing an active role in Lebanon’s crisis. He and his ministers have held a flurry of talks with players shaping the turmoil, with Macron […]

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Exclusive: How Saudi Arabia turned on Lebanon’s Hariri

This article represents opinion of the author Samia Nakhoul, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry – Reuters – BEIRUT (Reuters) – From the moment Saad al-Hariri’s plane touched down in Saudi Arabia on Friday Nov. 3, he was in for a surprise. There was no line-up of Saudi princes or ministry officials, as would typically greet a […]

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I’m free to return to Lebanon from Saudi Arabia, says Saad Hariri

Saad Hariri has pledged he will return to Lebanon from Saudi Arabia “very soon,” in his first television interview since his shock resignation as prime minister eight days ago.In an interview from Riyadh with his party’s Future TV on Sunday, Hariri brushed aside rumours that he was under de facto house arrest in Saudi Arabia. […]

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I’m free to return to Lebanon from Saudi Arabia, says Saad Hariri

by AFP – Saad Hariri has pledged he will return to Lebanon from Saudi Arabia “very soon,” in his first television interview since his shock resignation as prime minister eight days ago.In an interview from Riyadh with his party’s Future TV on Sunday, Hariri brushed aside rumours that he was under de facto house arrest […]

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These are the up-and-coming princes poised to take control in Saudi Arabia

by Simon Henderson, Foreign Policy  Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman appears to be shredding our understanding about how Saudi Arabia is ruled. Seeking to consolidate his power, he threw caution and consensus-building — the traditional techniques of Saudi leadership — out the window months ago, proceeding instead with almost reckless speed and an apparent disregard […]

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Lebanese president presses Saudi to say why Hariri has not returned

by Ellen Francis  BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s president called on Saudi Arabia on Saturday to clarify why Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri could not return home, a week after he stunned his country by resigning while in the kingdom. A senior Lebanese official said President Michel Aoun had told foreign ambassadors Hariri had been “kidnapped” […]

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Lebanese PM’s allies believe Saudi Arabia is restricting his movement

  By Tamara Qiblawi, Angela Dewan and Schams Elwazer, CNN – Beirut (CNN)Lebanon’s government believes Saudi Arabia is restricting the movement and communications of its Prime Minister Saad Hariri, a high-level ministerial source told CNN on Friday. The source said Hariri “isn’t expressing himself freely” with the Lebanese government and that his own political bloc […]

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The world should push the crown prince to reform Saudi Arabia, not wreck it

by economist.com – Article represents only the opinion of the author   The way the prince is going about enacting change is worrying. One reason is that his ambition too often turns to rashness. He led an Arab coalition into an unwinnable war in Yemen against the Houthis, a Shia militia, creating a humanitarian disaster. He […]

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