Lebanese PM Hariri assures bankers stability comes first

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By Philip Issa AP - BEIRUT – Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri assured regional bankers on Thursday that Lebanon’s stability was his top concern, one day after walking back his shock resignation that threw his country into turmoil. Hariri, speaking at the Arab Banking Conference in Beirut, said his government was going to prioritize Lebanon’s interests over regional challenges and stressed a return to the country’s official policy of “disassociation,” or neutrality in regional affairs. “Our primary concern in Lebanon is stability, and that is what we are going to focus on,” said Hariri. Hariri stunned Lebanon and the region by resigning on Nov. 4 while in Saudi Arabia, raising fears of market panic and recession. But he told President Michel Aoun on Wednesday, Lebanon’s Independence Day, that he would stay on to allow for “consultations” that would seek to safeguard the tiny country’s delicate political system, stretched by competing agendas in Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Saudi Arabia is seen as the guardian of Lebanon’s Sunnis and is a main sponsor of its national government and military. Iran sponsors Lebanon’s Shiites and mostly funnels its funds and interests through the militant group Hezbollah. The market fears were not realized, but the events pushed the debate over foreign influence – and Hezbollah’s formidable influence in Lebanon and the region – to the forefront of Lebanese politics. “We must look at all means to reach the point where Lebanon stands back (from regional affairs), in practice, and not just in rhetoric,” Hariri said at the banking conference. Weighing in on Thursday, Iran’s powerful Revolutionary Guard chief, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, said the issue of Hezbollah’s arms is “non-negotiable.” He said Lebanon remains Israel’s first target, adding that therefore Hezbollah should be armed against it to maintain security in Lebanon. “It is natural that Hezbollah should be equipped with the best weapons for its security. This issue is not negotiable, and all of Lebanon, except a number of little puppets, support the arming of Hezbollah,” he said, according to comments in the Iranian semi-official Fars news agency. The prime minister said Wednesday he would defend Lebanon’s “Arab identity” and its ties with its “brotherly Arab nations” – a statement directed toward Iran and Hezbollah.

Saudi Arabia has backed Hariri and his father, the late Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri – though the kingdom is also seen as having orchestrated Hariri’s resignation. In its first remarks since Hariri resumed his post, Hezbollah called the prime minister’s return “promising” and said it sends the signal that matters can “return to normal.” Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah lawmaker, said Hariri’s Independence Day remarks could form the basis for efforts to find “appropriate” solutions to Lebanon’s crisis. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh told the conference Lebanon’s economy is on track to grow 2.5 percent this year. He said inflation was floating between 3 and 3.5 percent. Lebanon prides itself on being one of the region’s top destinations for finance. The prime minister also met with the French ambassador on Thursday. Diplomatic efforts led by French President Emmanuel Macron proved instrumental to returning Hariri to Beirut after his resignation from the Saudi capital.

Lebanese PM Saad Hariri suspends resignation

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Kareem Shaheen

By Theguardian.com  Kareem Shaheen -- The Lebanese prime minister, Saad Hariri, has said he is suspending the resignation that he announced two weeks ago from Saudi Arabia, easing a crisis that had deepened tensions around the Middle East. “Our nation today needs at this sensitive time exceptional efforts from everyone to protect it against danger,” Hariri said during independence day celebrations, having returned to Beirut late on Tuesday. “We must dissociate from wars, external struggles and regional conflicts.” The unusual nature of Hariri’s surprise resignation on 4 November prompted fears that he had been forced to leave office under the orders of his regional backers and that he had been held against his will in Saudi Arabia. It came against the backdrop of a regional power tussle between the Saudis and Iran, and renewed Saudi condemnation of Hezbollah, Hariri’s partners in government. The postponement of his resignation will offer a brief respite for the Lebanese, who are struggling with the spillover from the war in Syria, tensions arising from Hezbollah’s participation in the conflict alongside Bashar al-Assad, and a large refugee population in a country already riven by sectarian divisions. After his announcement, Hariri supporters marched through central Beirut, chanting “Saad” and waving the blue flag of his Future Movement political party. A convoy of honking cars, some painted blue and others plastered with pictures of Hariri, zipped through the streets. Hundreds also gathered at his house in Beirut, to welcome him back. Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun, had said he would not accept Hariri’s resignation unless he presented it in person, saying that he was acting on the assumption that Hariri had been forcibly kept in Riyadh. The crisis had threatened to splinter Hariri’s support base and plunge Lebanon, long a battleground for larger regional powers, into turmoil. France, which had a former mandate power over Lebanon, also intervened, with President Emmanuel Macron holding talks in Riyadh with the Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and later inviting Hariri to the Élysée Palace. The Lebanese PM eventually conducted a whirlwind tour of Paris, Cairo and Cyprus before landing in Beirut just before midnight on Tuesday, amid breathless coverage from Lebanese media outlets. On Wednesday, Hariri said he presented his resignation to Aoun at the presidential palace, but then responded to Aoun’s request to take more time for consultations, “hoping it will constitute a serious introduction for [national] dialogue”.

He reiterated the need for Lebanon to remain neutral on regional disputes and conflicts “and all that undermines internal stability and brotherly relations with Arab brothers”. Top Lebanese officials had accused Hariri’s patron, Saudi Arabia, of forcing his resignation and detaining him in the kingdom for days. The Lebanese rallied around Hariri, unanimously calling for his return from Saudi Arabia in what became an embarrassment to the kingdom. Hariri had said he was resigning due to Hezbollah and Iran’s domination over Lebanon and because of alleged threats to his life. His father, Rafik, was assassinated in 2005 in downtown Beirut in a massive bombing, and an international tribunal indicted five members of Hezbollah in connection with the case. Hariri’s announcement suggests that Saudi Arabia’s young crown prince realised he had overreached by firing Hariri, which constituted another failed move to try to counter Iran.  His resignation was followed by a steep escalation in Saudi statements against the Lebanese government, which includes Hezbollah. Riyadh said the Lebanese government as a whole, not just Hezbollah, had declared war against it. Western governments including the US struck a different tone, affirming their support for Hariri and Lebanon and the stability of the country, which is hosting 1.5 million Syrian refugees – nearly one in four of the Lebanese population.

By AP- By Sarah El Deeb and Philip Issa |- The Saudi crown prince, who has the blessing of his father, King Salman, has taken a much harder line against the Sunni kingdom’s main rival — Shiite power Iran, which has spread its influence in the Arab region in recent years. The crown prince, who is also defense minister, has a reputation for being impulsive. He has led Saudi Arabia into a nearly three-year-long war in Yemen to try and push back Iranian-allied rebels there. A global outcry by aid groups over the tightening of a Saudi blockade in Yemen prompted the Saudis to say they would lift restrictions on urgently-needed humanitarian supplies. But Hariri’s retraction is not a total loss for the Gulf kingdom, which can point to the newly invigorated debate, mainly in Lebanon, over the extent of Hezbollah’s regional influence, and its formidable military capabilities that rival those of the Lebanese Army. The group, operating independently of Lebanon’s government, has been fighting on the side of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the brutal civil war next door. Many of Assad’s enemies are rebels backed by Saudi Arabia. The kingdom claims Hezbollah is also advising Iran-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen, in their war against that country’s Saudi-backed government.

It remains to be seen what Hariri is demanding and how much room there is to negotiate in order “to at least arrive at some sort of acceptable modus vivendi,” she said. “Putting the resignation on hold now means there is still room for backdoor negotiations to try and figure a way out of this,” Yahya said. Hariri’s reversal appears to be a culmination of nearly three weeks of international pressure to restore Lebanon’s delicate political configuration, and return Hariri to Beirut. French President Emmanuel Macron, who has shown a keenness to restore France’s influence in the Middle East, flew to Saudi Arabia to meet Hariri days after his resignation, then sat with Salman and Crown Prince. Days later, the White House issued a statement calling Hariri a “trusted partner” to the United States, adding pressure on Saudi Arabia to clarify the situation. Macron’s mediation succeeded in getting Hariri out of the kingdom. Hariri was in Paris on Saturday, then, on Tuesday, he traveled to Egypt and Cyprus, meeting with Presidents Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi and Nicos Anastasiades. Lebanon’s Al-Akhbar newspaper, which boasts deep contacts in the region despite its anti-Saudi stand, reported that officials in Egypt, Jordan, and Kuwait — allies of Saudi Arabia — were alarmed by the Saudi crown prince’s recent regional maneuvers. Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said in remarks to the private Sigma radio station that Hariri’s visit to Larnaca was “neither by chance or a surprise.” “The common aim is stability in Lebanon,” he told The Associated Press. Posters erected around Beirut and other cities welcomed Hariri’s return. “God give him a long life and protect him,” said Ali Mohiedeen, one of a few thousand well-wishers and party supporters arrived at Hariri’s central Beirut residence on Wednesday afternoon. About Hezbollah, he said: “It’s time they handover their weapons, it’s time they submit to the realities.” And as for Hariri, “Sheikh Saad, the step he took, he should have taken it a long time ago,” said Mohiedeen.

Reliability of Transit systems around the world

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Lebanese PM Saad Hariri returns to Beirut

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by reuters, Lebanese PM Saad Hariri has arrived back in Beirut for the first time since announcing his resignation in Saudi Arabia more than two weeks ago. TV pictures from Beirut international airport showed Mr Hariri being greeted by members of the security forces as he disembarked from his plane. Mr Hariri caused a political crisis when he quit during a visit to Riyadh. He denied speculation that Saudi Arabia had forced him to quit as part of a regional power struggle with Iran. Lebanese President Michel Aoun has refused to accept his resignation until he returns to present it in person. On Saturday, Mr Hariri flew to Paris where he met French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been trying to broker a way out of the stalemate. Mr Hariri stopped off briefly in Egypt and Cyprus on his way back to Beirut on Tuesday. While in France, Mr Hariri vowed to return to Lebanon to take part in independence celebrations on Wednesday, adding: "It is there that I will make known my position... after meeting President Aoun." Mr Hariri abruptly announced he was resigning during a trip to Saudi Arabia on 4 November.

by AP - 12:05 a.m. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has visited the grave of his father, the late Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. It was Hariri's first stop since returning to Beirut late Tuesday, more than two weeks after shocking the country by announcing his resignation while in Saudi Arabia. After praying at the grave, Hariri retired to his home in central Beirut. He arrived in Lebanon from Cyprus on Tuesday night, after meeting with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades. Hariri is expected to attend Lebanon's independence day parade in the capital Wednesday. He will then meet with President Michel Aoun, who has said he would not accept Hariri's resignation until he received it in person. The prime minister's shock resignation announcement on Nov. 4 set off speculation that he had been forced to step down by the Gulf kingdom and was being held there against his will. But he left Saudi Arabia for Paris on Saturday by invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, before traveling on to Beirut by way of Egypt and Cyprus.

Saudi Arabia ‘a threat’ to Lebanon says former UK FM Jack Straw

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by middleeastmonitor.com/ Saudi Arabia poses a threat to stability in Lebanon, former UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Saturday, warning calmer heads must prevail in the kingdom to prevent a broader crisis. Policies by the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman risk destabilising the region, Straw said at a conference on Saudi Arabia hosted by Middle East Monitor on Saturday. “The generation I dealt with were much more cautious,” Straw, who held the senior position during 2001 to 2006, said. They were much more cautious when it came to the social environment in Saudi Arabia. … Saudi foreign policy could end up as a threat in Lebanon unless wiser council prevails. The comments came during increasing tension between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, after the unprecedented resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri from Riyadh. Hariri pointed toward Iranian influence in Lebanon and slammed Hezbollah before stepping down as prime minister of the state, echoing similar rhetoric that has been increasingly spewed by Saudi Arabia in recent months. But Straw – who took part in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme in the early 2000s – advised it best to accept the realities of groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Palestine’s Hamas. “Hezbollah as a political force is a reality in the Lebanon,” he said, adding he is “unhappy about our boycotting of Hamas. I talked off the record to some journalists in Riyadh in early 2006 and said we ought to be talking to Hamas”, he said. “Some people say I was removed from the post of foreign secretary” because of these comments, he suggested. Read: UK ex-foreign secretary Straw hints he was sacked after urging Hamas dialogue Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman – also known as MbS – has hit international headlines for his recent radical shift in policies, including allowing women to drive in the kingdom and allegedly clamping down on corruption, even among royal ranks. But despite the moves, dubbed as nothing more than a hollow “PR stunt” by analysts and campaigners, including Saudi Madawi al-Rasheed, MbS has failed to shake off criticism for spearheading a Saudi war on Yemen’s Houthi rebels that has left more than 10,000 dead.

Saudi Billionaires Look for Ways to Protect Assets From Any Government Purge

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by By Glen Carey , Archana Narayanan , and Alaa Shahin - Bloomberg - Wealthy Saudis are seeking to restructure their businesses to ring fence assets in case authorities widen their declared crackdown on corruption, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Several family groups and businessmen who aren’t implicated in the purge are talking to local banks and international law firms about how to structure their companies to make it harder for the kingdom to confiscate or seize assets, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private. One option could be to split assets between more than one holding company, one of the people said, though it’s not clear how successful these plans could be because the government is closely scrutinizing business activity in the kingdom as part of the crackdown, he said. Such discussions reflect the fear among many wealthy Saudis that the unprecedented purge, which is seen by many as an attempt by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to tighten his grip on power, is set to widen. Dozens of officials, princes and billionaires, including Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, whose Kingdom Holding Co. owns stakes in companies such as Citigroup Inc. and Twitter Inc., have already been targeted.

Shifting Assets

Some Saudi billionaires and millionaires are selling investments in neighboring Gulf countries and turning them into cash or liquid holdings overseas to avoid the risk of getting caught up in the sweep, people familiar with the matter said this month. Few, however, are trying to shift money out of Saudi Arabia amid fears of attracting unwanted attention from authorities, they said. The crackdown has involved some of the kingdom’s richest families who for decades have benefited from close relations with the country’s rulers. These ties have helped them win major contracts and partner with international companies seeking a foothold in the Arab world’s biggest economy. One senior Saudi official, who asked not to be named, said over the weekend suspects are being offered settlements to avoid trial. If they accept, talks are held with a special committee to work out the details. Authorities estimate they may be able to recover between $50 billion and $100 billion from settlement agreements, the official said.