Press TV - Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has questioned Prime Minister Saad Hariri�s prolonged stay in Saudi Arabia, calling it �mysterious� as the country is teetering on the brink of a political crisis following the premier�s abrupt resignation.
�It is the first time in the history of the republic that an official announces his resignation from abroad,� Bassil told Egyptian Arabic-language al-Ahram daily newspaper on Wednesday, stressing that�Hariri�s return to Lebanon has now become a �national priority�.
Bassil said Lebanon had launched a campaign to explain �the circumstances of Hariri�s resignation from abroad within the context of current events,� and also to highlight��the need to respect the international agreements and conventions that regulate political relations between states and ensure total immunity for sovereign state officials.�
Bassil's remarks came after Lebanese President Michel Aoun said earlier on Wednesday that Saudi officials had�detained Hariri, calling it an act of aggression against Lebanon.
�Nothing justifies Hariri's lack of return for 12 days. We therefore consider him detained. This is a violation of the Vienna agreements and human rights law,� Aoun said at a meeting with Lebanese journalists and media executives.
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Lebanon's President Michel Aoun (Photo by AFP)[/caption]The Lebanese president further noted that Saudi Arabia was holding Hariri�s family as well, saying,��We have not previously asked for their return, but we have confirmed that (his family) is also detained and family members are being searched as they enter and leave the house.�
French foreign minister to meet Hariri in Riyadh
Meanwhile, an unnamed French diplomatic source said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was to meet with the Lebanese prime minister during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Le Drian is to arrive�in Riyadh later on Wednesday�to discuss political developments regarding Lebanon with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and hold talks with Hariri in person.
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian (Photo by AFP)[/caption]The source added that the meeting was scheduled for Thursday, but the timing could still change.
Hariri announced his resignation in a televised statement on November 4, citing many reasons, including the security situation in Lebanon, for his sudden decision. He also said that he sensed a plot being hatched against his life.
Hariri accused Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement of meddling in Arab countries� affairs; an allegation the two have repeatedly denied.
The Lebanese prime minister announced his resignation following his visit�to Saudi Arabia.
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Lebanon�s Prime Minister Saad Hariri (Photo by AFP)[/caption]Hariri became prime minister in 2016 after serving another term between November 2009 and June 2011.
Iran has vehemently rejected Hariri�s remarks, saying his resignation and rehashing of the �unfounded and baseless� allegations regularly leveled by Zionists, Saudis and the US were another scenario to create new tensions in Lebanon and elsewhere in the Middle East.
�The sudden resignation of Mr. Hariri and its announcement in another country are not only regrettable and astonishing, but also indicative of him playing in a court that the ill-wishers in the region have laid out,� Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi commented.
