We will defend our country's stability, Arabism: Hariri

CAIRO – 22 November 2017: After the recent suspension of his resignation, Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri celebrated with his supporters in Beirut’s streets and declared to them, “I'm staying with you.”

In front of his residence in Beirut, aptly named “Moderation House”, Hariri affirmed that he will be staying in Lebanon to defend the country’s stability, freedom, peace and Arabism.

“This is a moment of honesty and history to all who have ears and eyes and wish to hear and see. I am Saad Rafik al-Hariri, one of you, standing with you to say thanks!” Hariri proclaimed, adding, “Thank you for all who know the importance of preserving this country’s stability and security. You came to welcome me back to the country, but I say that we should welcome Lebanon back for us.”

“We, people of moderation, have nothing precious more than our country. Our principles are indivisible and our slogan will always be Lebanon first,” Hariri concluded.



Hariri returned to Lebanon after 18-days of absence to attend the country’s Independence Day celebration. He gave a speech in which he announced the suspension of his resignation, allowing more serious dialogue between political parties to take place.

“I presented today my resignation to President Michel Aoun, but he urged me to wait before offering it and to wait for more dialogue on its reasons and political background, and I agreed," Hariri added in his speech.

He added that this dialogue is supposed to tackle all his reasons for resignation. “I accepted Aoun’s request to postpone my resignation, hoping that this will offer us a serious chance to address our sectarian problems and their impact on our international relations, especially with our Arab brothers,” Hariri stated.

On November 4, Hariri announced his sudden resignation in a short video from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and then travelled for a quick visit to France with his family, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Yesterday, Hariri arrived in Cairo and met Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi.

During their meeting, Sisi stressed Egypt’s full support for Lebanon’s stability, calling on all Lebanese parties to prioritize the national interests of the Lebanese people and reject any foreign interference in the country’s internal affairs.

The meeting highlighted the latest developments in Lebanon, in which Hariri lauded the strong and deep relations between Egypt and Lebanon, according to Egyptian presidential spokesperson Bassam Rady.