Lebanon accuses Saudi Arabia of holding its PM hostage

Lebanon accuses Saudi Arabia of holding its PM hostage
Lebanon’s president on Wednesday accused Saudi Arabia of holding hostage prime minister Saad al-Hariri along with his family - the first time he has explicitly said he was being held - and called this an act of aggression.

"Our Prime Minister was held in the Kingdom (Saudi Arabia). Communicating with him is so far limited, he can’t express what he wants to say and this is an act of aggression against Lebanon because he has immunity as prime minister and this is according to the Vienna agreement. There is also another violation against the human rights laws. We have taken all procedures because something like this is not a resignation of a government, it is an aggression against us and our independence,” President Michel Aoun said in a statement.

Hariri’s abrupt resignation as premier in a statement televised from the Saudi capital Riyadh on Nov. 4 thrust Lebanon to the front of a Middle East contest for power between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Aoun has said he will not accept Hariri’s resignation until he returns to Lebanon to formally submit it and explain his reasons, which Hariri has said he will do in the coming days. Lebanese politicians close to Hariri said last week that Saudi Arabia had coerced him into quitting.

Hariri has denied being kept in custody by Saudi Arabia and pledged on Wednesday to return soon. Riyadh denies detaining him or forcing him to resign.

التعليقات (0)

    0

    الأكثر قراءة

    💡 أهم المواضيع

    ✨ أهم التصنيفات