Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who attempted to resign last weekend, reportedly met with a French diplomat at an undisclosed location within Saudi Arabia, where both he and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince claimed he is “not a prisoner.” But is he?
France is clearly far from convinced, as the most recent statements out of the French Foreign Ministry said they “wish Hariri had all his freedom of movement,” and added that he should be able to “make his own choices” regarding his future in Lebanon.
Germany, by contrast, says they have no evidence Hariri is being held against his will. That may well be the case, but there’s also no really solid evidence he’s not being held against his will either. Since his resignation, Saudi media has reported repeatedly that he left the country, but he’s still there.
The claim of Hariri facing an “assassination plot,” his excuse for resigning, itself appears to have originated in Saudi media. Lebanese officials have refused to accept the resignation until he returns to Lebanon, and have demanded Saudi Arabia allow him to do so.
One wonders what would have happened if instead of Saudi , Hariri were missing in Syria or Iran ?
That’s just the point, he wouldn’t have. Syria and Iran are honourable countries. Unlike Saudi Barbaria.
Or even if an unknown someone had killed him.
The day after Hariri had a very good meeting with the Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, he gets called to Saudi Arabia , resigns, and says Iran and Hezbollah are very bad…
http://www.imannews.com/en/iran/politics/530050/Source-Reveals-Contents-of-Velayati,-Hariri's-Talks
The Saudis had been raising pressure on Lebanon for a while but Hariri wasn’t cooperating well.
Sounds like he always was. They just used to keep him in a cell called the Presidential Office in Beirut. Now his captors have moved him.
Once Harari stops being seen publicly is probably the time to really start worrying about his safety…
So far the effect is just so much theatre.
A little perspective is in order. Hariri was from day one a reluctant political figure. His wealthy family still owns expensive real estste in France. His father was assasinated, and he proppelled into complex Lebanese politics. He was a tool of Western meddling — mobilizing Sunni against Shia, and often getting Christian factions on his side. But much has changed since 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, fall of Mubarak, Libya crisis, Syrian terrorist infiltrstikn, and subsequent engulfing of both Syria and Iraq by the latest and greatest villian — ISIS. Following the deal with the new president — Michael Aoun, Hariti made sdveral attempts in his role as Prime Minister to stir up the anymosity brtween refugees and locals, but failed. His political career depended kn Saudi Arabian funding — mostly funneled through his company in Saudi Arabia. Now, it alpears that the company is bankrupt. There are conflicting stories as to who exactly is holding him — some suggest the opposition to the new Crown Prince and his anticoruption crusade.
They expect the net to widen — and are desparate for a mega crisis to blackmail the already crisis beset MbS. There are other theories — but regardless of the real mystery behind — it does not look like he has freedom to leave — or perhsaps even wants to,
Hariri is a dual citizen and subject to laws of both nations with all the problems that presents. Mexican-Americans, Israeli-Americans, and over 50 other Dual-Americans have the same problems. However they can and do vote in elections in two nations.
Freedom of movement? Given the Saudi rep, this means Harari’s chained to the wall, not an iron ball.