Mustaqbal 'Relieved' by Hariri's Withdrawal of His Resignation

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday expressed “relief” over Prime Minister Saad Hariri's formal withdrawal of his resignation.

“The bloc welcomed the resolution that was issued by the Cabinet today in which it reaffirmed the commitment of all of the government's components to the policy of dissociation from any conflicts or wars, as well as the internal affairs of Arab countries," Mustaqbal said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

The bloc also lauded “the efforts that PM Saad Hariri carried out in order to reach this resolution and to the implementation of the dissociation policy through both action and words.”

And expressing “relief” over Hariri's withdrawal of his resignation, Mustaqbal hoped there will be “a quick resumption of the government's work” in order to “confront the major challenges that Lebanon is facing at the economic, social and political levels.”

Hariri had announced a shock resignation in a Nov. 4 televised broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing Hizbullah's meddling in regional affairs as a main reason for stepping down. The nature of the surprising announcement raised suspicions that it was orchestrated by Saudi Arabia, his main backer.

Following international mediation efforts led by France and Egypt, Hariri revoked his resignation on Tuesday after the government components agreed on a statement reaffirming Lebanon's so-called policy of dissociation from regional conflicts.