Hariri Meets Salam, Top Officials: My Stay in Lebanon Will Be Longer this Time around

Head of the Mustaqbal Movement MP Saad Hariri held talks on Monday with several officials on the second day of his return to Lebanon after nearly a yearlong absence.

He met at the Grand Serail with Prime Minister Tammam Salam, telling reporters that “this time around my stay in the country will be longer than the last.”

“My speech on Sunday was not directed against Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and we extend our hand to all sides,” he added.

“We cannot continue with the obstruction tactics as the constitution forbids it,” he stressed.

“The delay in electing a president is not justified, but some sides want the vacuum,” he added.

“I emphasized to Salam the need to continue with the revitalization of government work in light of the presidential vacuum,” Hariri said.

He then headed to the Saifi area in Beirut to hold talks with Kataeb Party chief MP Sami Gemayel.

“We are living in a democratic country and we should all head to parliament and elect a president,” he declared from Saifi.

“We made a commitment to MP Suleiman Franjieh and we must play the democratic game,” he stressed.

“We will be the first to congratulate MP Michel Aoun if he is elected president, but they should head to parliament to hold the polls,” he stated.

On his ties with Gemayel and Geagea, Hariri told reporters: “I believe in the March 14 alliance and I know that Geagea believes in it too.”

“We acknowledge that we have differences, but we will remain united over greater issues,” he remarked.

“We have different opinions, but no one should attempt to question our ties,” he emphasized.

For his part, Gemayel said: “Lebanon can only rise with moderation, which is reflected in the Mustaqbal Movement, and committing to the constitution and democracy.”

“Moderation is key given the extremism we are witnessing in the region,” he explained.

“The Mustaqbal Movement practiced the game of democracy even after it was no longer in a position of power. Winning and losing is part of this game,” he said.

“Those who want to guarantee the results of the polls ahead of the actual elections are no longer practicing democracy. This is dictatorship,” he declared in an indirect reference to the March 8 alliance.

Practicing democracy, respecting the constitution, and accepting electoral results are more important than the candidates themselves.

“We cannot handover the country to people who do not practice democracy or respect the constitution,” he continued.

Hizbullah, Aoun's key ally in the March 8 camp, declared two weeks ago that it would not head to the presidential elections without guarantees that its candidate, Aoun, will be elected head of state.

This announcement has incurred the criticism of the March 14 alliance and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.

Earlier, Hariri had held talks at the Center House with Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri, who highlighted the role slain former Premier Rafik Hariri played in bolstering coexistence and civil peace in Lebanon.

His son is following in his footsteps and is reflecting his keenness on preserving the Lebanese state and its institutions, said the ambassador according to a statement issued by the lawmaker's press office.

He hoped that the speech Saad Hariri made on Sunday would serve as “a first step towards holding dialogue and frank talks that would lead to desired solutions.”

Hariri then held talks with U.S. Charge d'Affaires Richard Jones, who said that the MP's speech on Sunday delivered a message that said that “it is time to elect a president.”

Lebanon has been suffering from a vacuum in the presidency since the term of President Michel Suleiman ended in May 2014 without the election of successor.

The U.S. has long sought to end the vacuum, stressed Jones.

Asked if he believes that the elections will be held soon, he replied that this is up to the various political forces.

Hariri also met with French Ambassador Emmanuel Bonne and later March 14 General Secretariat coordinator Fares Soaid and received telephone calls congratulating him on his return to Lebanon from Suleiman, Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb, former MP Michel al-Murr, Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi, Army Commander General Jean Qahwaji. General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim, and Mount Lebanon Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Ali al-Jouzo.

The MP had returned to Lebanon on Sunday to mark the commemoration of the eleventh anniversary of the assassination of his father.

Rafik Hariri was killed in a major car bombing in Beirut on February 14, 2005.

Saad Hariri stressed Sunday that the Mustaqbal Movement “does not fear” the election as president of any candidate who abides by the Taef Accord, noting that his latest proposal to nominate MP Suleiman Franjieh has stirred “the stagnant political waters” and led to a “historic reconciliation between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement.”

He pointed out that his step has “reshuffled the cards” and “forced everyone to consider ending the presidential vacuum.”

He had last been in Lebanon to mark the tenth anniversary of his father's assassination.

Prior to that, he had returned to Beirut in August 2014 to announce a Saudi grant to the army.

He initially left Lebanon in 2011 over alleged security fears.

M.T.

D.A.