Alwaght- Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri arrived to Lebanon after a long absence and made a speech on Saturday to mark the 10th anniversary of his father’s assassination, former premier Rafiq al-Hariri.
Saad Hariri said in his speech that the dialogue with Hezbollah is important for the country, noting that the sessions between the two parties have been serious.
MP Hariri added in the ceremony that Lebanon “does not belong to any regional axis.”
Hariri, head of the Future Movement said that Lebanon faces two dangers: the Sunni-Shiite tensions and the presidential vacuum.
Concerning the sectarian tensions, Hariri said: “It is urgent and it is a necessary Islamic need to deflate religious tensions,” adding that defusing tensions is meant to “evade a sectarian explosion.”
In this context, the Lebanese MP said that the future party came into dialogue with Hezbollah “to protect Lebanon because Lebanon is more important than us and more important them, as Hariri used to say: 'No one is greater than his country'.”
However, he noted that the dialogue does not mean that differences with Hezbollah were settled, regarding the Special Tribunal of Lebanon (probing the 2005 assassination of his father), Syrian crisis, and the weapons of resistance.
Concerning the investigation around the assassination of his father, he claims that the international tribunal would produce a fair verdict. Saad has blamed Syria for his father's murder, a charge Damascus definitely denies.
On the other hand Hezbollah and its political allies have dismissed the international tribunal and considered it as a US-Zionist scheme.
It is worth to note that Saad has been in self-imposed exile since 2011, dividing his time between Saudi Arabia and France, who support him.
Saad Hariri who had arrived in Lebanon overnight on Friday is expected to remain in the country until the middle of next week
Some analysts feel that the visit of Saad to Beirut is in the context of preparation to come back to his previous governmental position.
Concerning the ongoing dialogue between the two main Lebanese rival parties, Hezbollah and the Future Movement, it is described to be positive and serious.
The dialogue between the rival parties aims, among other things, to defuse rising Sunni-Shia tensions in the country, facilitating the election of a president, and bolstering counterterrorism efforts.
It is worth to mention that the Lebanese parliament has failed for the 16th time in a row to elect a president to replace Michel Suleiman whose term expired in May 2014, and since then Lebanon has continued to function without a head of state
The parliament was unable to reach a quorum due to the boycott of sessions by some political groups.
Referring to the ongoing fighting with terrorist groups such as ISIS terrorist group and al-Nusra Front in the northeastern parts of the country, both parties reaffirmed the firm stance in backing the army and security forces with all means to confront terrorism and protect Lebanon.
Hezbollah has reportedly agreed to allow the Lebanese army to deploy its forces in the Bekaa valley near the Syrian border, where the movement enjoys huge popular support. The Lebanese resistance movement has been the main defense line against the terrorists operating in the region.
Also, they both have agreed on some practical steps that will boost the climate of stability in the country.
Clear progress has been made in these discussions thus opening the horizon for results that can help consolidate national stability, where both parties also appreciated the positive development of the dialogue and its subsequent impact on the public opinion.
