Saudi king holds talks with Lebanon PM in Riyadh

By Ahmed al-Masri

RIYADH

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who arrived in Riyadh earlier Wednesday for his first visit since his sudden resignation in November.

The meeting tackled bilateral relations and developments in Lebanon, according to the official SPA news agency.

A host of Saudi and Lebanese officials were present at the meeting, including Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Lebanese ambassador Fawzi Kabara.

Hariri is expected to meet later in the day with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

In November, Hariri abruptly announced his resignation from Saudi Arabia during his visit to the oil-rich kingdom.

He later revoked his resignation amid accusations by Lebanese officials for Saudi Arabia of forcing Hariri to resign.

Saudi Arabia accused Hezbollah, a member of Hariri’s government, of being a proxy force for Shia Iran, an arch foe of the oil-rich kingdom.