EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini met with Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad al-Hariri in Beirut, after which the European top diplomat declared Lebanon’s independence and security as a top priority for the European Union. Mogherini said, For us, it has always been and will continue always to be a priority to preserve and continue to build Lebanon’s strength, independence, economic development, security and we were extremely satisfied with your [addressing Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri] return to Beirut and the resumption of the work of the cabinet that you chair,” the EU Foreign Policy chief asserted.
Mogherini’s comments come following several weeks of tension, which ensued when Prime Minister al-Hariri shocked Lebanon on November 4th, when he decided to resign his post during a visit to Saudi Arabia, accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran and its heavily armed Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim proxy Hezbollah for meddling in the Arab world in general, and in Lebanon in particular. Since Hariri returned to Beirut, however, he decided to postpone his resignation, under a condition that all Lebanese factions must stick by the state policy of “disassociation from regional conflicts,” a demand clearly directed toward Hezbollah. That said, Hezbollah continues to maintain that it is maintaining Lebanon’s interests in support of President Bashar Assad in Syria, while rejecting allegations of meddling in the regional rivalry of Saudi Arabia and Iran.