Report: Hariri's Decision to Roll Back Resignation 'Conditional'

Prime Minister Saad Hariri's decision to reconsider his resignation is “conditional” and could be attributed to an “inclination to embarrass Hizbullah” and secure the “widest possible support among the Lebanese for his national demands,” Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday.

Hariri has set three conditions for rolling back his resignation after putting it on hold on Wednesday to pave way for more consultations that will be started by President Michel Aoun.

Unnamed sources in Beirut told the daily that the PM has decided to postpone his resignation to “embarrass Hizbullah and rally more support among the Lebanese for his national demands.”

A well-informed source also told the daily the “conditions to roll back the resignation” are coupled with “maintaining the Taef Accord and to the genuine implementation of the dissociation policy in addition to safeguarding Lebanon's ties with Arab countries.”

The source stressed that Hariri's presence in the government is linked to these grounds.

On Wednesday, Hariri said he was suspending his surprise resignation, pending talks, providing a potential way out of a political crisis that has rocked the country.

Sources close to Hariri said the government will resume its duties, stressing that the “delay means a temporary suspension of the resignation of the government.” They added that Hariri has discussed the grounds for his resignation with Aoun.

For their part, sources familiar with Hizbullah’s position told Asharq al-Awsat that the party is ready for dialogue with an assertion that “the party's weapons will be out of the equation and the discussions will be linked to the defense strategy.”

Lebanon has been thrown into turmoil by Hariri's shock November 4 announcement from Saudi Arabia that he was stepping down, followed by a prolonged absence.

The resignation was seen as a ratcheting up of tensions in the long-running rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and raised fears that Lebanon would be paralysed by regional tensions.

Hours after his arrival back in Beirut, Hariri met with President Michel Aoun, who had refused to accept the premier's resignation until he returned to Lebanon.

Hariri said he hoped his decision would "allow for a responsible dialogue in a serious manner... that would settle disputes."

In announcing his resignation, he had levelled harsh criticism at Iran and its Lebanese ally Hizbullah, saying they had taken over Lebanon and were destabilizing the region.

He also said he had been forced to leave Lebanon because of threats to his safety, invoking the 2005 assassination of his father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri.

But he left the door open to withdrawing the resignation if Hizbullah group pulled back from involvement in regional conflicts.

Speaking in the evening after meeting parliament speaker Nabih Berri, Hariri called on "everyone" to respect this "policy of distance", saying that would "improve our relations with our Arab brothers ".

Hariri accuses Hizbullah of violating Lebanon's policy of "disassociation" from regional conflicts by fighting alongside Syria's government and assisting Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah has said the group was open to talks, though whether any real compromise could be reached remained unclear.