Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is set to appear in an interview with his party’s media outlet, Al-Mustaqbal TV on Sunday night, in a clear attempt by Saudi authorities to deny that the man is held captive by Riyadh.
Al-Mustaqbal TV presenter Paula Yacoubian confirmed Sunday that she was preparing to interview Hariri regarding his abrupt resignation.
However, it was circulated that Yacoubian’s news team was prevented from traveling with her. The TV presenter denied such reports, but confirmed that she was travelling to Riyadh alone without her team, attributing the move to “time constraints.”
Many commentators consider the interview as another attempt by Riyadh to prove that Hariri is ‘free to move’ in the Gulf Kingdom.
Hariri announced on November 4 his resignation from Riyadh in a shocking move. In the previous days, Many reports talked about the circumstances which surrounded Hariri’s resignation, with Reuters news agency quoted an official close to Hariri as saying that the Lebanese PM was forced to resign and has been under house arrest since his arrival to Riyadh on November 3.
Lebanese President Michel Aoun has yet to formally accept Hariri’s resignation and has criticized the circumstances surrounding it as “unacceptable”. On Saturday, President Aoun asked Saudi Arabia to “clarify the reasons that have prevented the return of PM Hariri to Lebanon “.
“The obscurity surrounding the condition of PM Saad Hariri since his resignation a week ago means that all positions and actions declared by him or attributed to him do not reflect the truth,” President Aoun added.
Source: Al-Manar
