France intervenes in bid to end Lebanon's political crisis

Lebanon's president said onThursday he hoped the crisis over Saad al-Hariri's resignationas prime minister would soon end, with Hariri planning to leaveSaudi Arabia for France this weekend.

Hariri announced his resignation while in Saudi Arabia onNov. 4, in a televised statement in which he railed against Riyadh's bitter foe Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

That thrust Lebanon into both a domestic political crisisand the Middle East's overarching rivalry that pits Saudi Arabia and its allies against a bloc led by Iran.

A French government source said Hariri would fly to Paris onSaturday and meet President Emmanuel Macron the same day.

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French officials said they did not know how long Haririwould stay before returning to Beirutbut hoped his trip wouldhelp soothe the crisis by demonstrating he was not being held inSaudi Arabia, as Lebanon's President Michel Aoun has said.

"His arrival will ease tensions by showing he's free to movearound," said a French diplomatic source.

There would be consultations before he returns to Beirut tobuild international support for him to negotiate a newpoliticaldeal in Lebanon, French officials said.

"We're not trying to find a compromise or open dialoguebetween sides, but trying to create the conditions for a de-escalation in the region. We want to avoid a proliferation ofcrises that could get out of control."

Lebanesepresident hopeful

Hariri accepted an invitation to France on Thursday aftermeeting French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who was visiting Saudi Arabia.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who has refused to accept Hariri's resignation unlesshe returns to Lebanon, has accused Riyadh of holding Haririhostage. He said on Thursday on Twitter he hoped "the crisis isover" and the France visit would open the door to a solution.

Lebanon maintains a delicate sectarian balance, afterSunnis, Shias, Christians and Druze fought a 1975-1990 civilwar, with factions often backed by regional rivals.

Hariri, a Sunni Muslim, is a long-term ally of Saudi Arabia.Aoun, a Christian, is a political ally of Hezbollah, the heavily armed ShiaMuslim movement that is backed by Iran. Hariri'sgovernment is a power-sharing coalition that includes Hezbollah,but Riyadh has made clear it opposes the group's influence.

Since Hariri announced his resignation, Saudi Arabia hasaccused Lebanon of declaring war on it, citing Hezbollah's rolefighting in other Arab countries.

On Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir saidSaudi Arabia was consulting with its allies about what leverage to use against Hezbollah. "We will make the decision when thetime comes," he said in an interview.

Diplomatic pressure

Top Lebanese officials and senior politicians close to Hariri say he was forced to quit and was being held by the Saudis. Politicians from all sides in Lebanon have called for his return to Beirut.

Saudi Arabia has denied forcing him to resign or detaining him. Hariri has said he is free to leave and would return soon to formally submit his resignation, which Aoun has said he will accept only in person.

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He also warned of possible Saudi action against Lebanon,including sanctions and threats to the livelihood of Lebanese workers in the Gulf, unless Hezbollah is reined in.

Aoun said in a statement that once Hariri returned to Lebanon, he would have to stay until a new government was formed.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has toured Europeancapitals seeking diplomatic help to end the crisis. On Thursdayhe was in Germany and scheduled to visit Turkey. On Friday hewill visit Russia.

France's foreign minister, Le Drian, said Paris was workingto normalize the situation in Lebanon. After meeting Le Drian,Jubeir described Hezbollah as an arm of Iran's RevolutionaryGuards and said it must disarm for Lebanon to be stable.

"Whenever we see a problem, we see Hezbollah act as an armor agent of Iran and this has to come to an end," he said.