French President Emmanuel Macron says he is not offering Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri political “exile,” but wants him to come to France for a while to help calm tensions in Lebanon and dispel fears that he is a Saudi prisoner.
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) gives a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi (L) following their meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on October 5, 2017. (AFP Photo/Pool/Judovic Marin)
Speaking to reporters Wednesday during a climate meeting in Germany, Macron said that in discussions with Hariri and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, “we agreed that I would invite (Hariri) to France for several days with his family.”
He said, “We need to have leaders who are free to express themselves,” adding that “it’s important that (Hariri) is able to advance the political process in his country in the coming days and weeks.”
French officials say Hariri is expected in the coming days, probably directly from Saudi Arabia, where he announced his surprise resignation on Nov. 4.
— AP
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