The positive atmosphere that prevailed over talks between the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri contributed significantly to the reconciliation meeting held between the latter and former Minister Ashraf Rifi, in the presence of former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and former Minister Rashid Derbas.
Disagreement between the two Sunni officials had recently intensified over Tripoli’s sub-parliamentary elections.
Parliamentary and ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that King Salman’s reception of Hariri at Al Yamama Palace in Riyadh earlier this week will have positive results in supporting Lebanon to overcome its economic and financial crises.
Hariri’s visitors revealed that he would head back to Riyadh in the next couple of days following his meetings at the “Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region”, to which he arrived on Wednesday heading a delegation representing Lebanon.
Moreover, Hariri’s positive talks in Riyadh coincided with his openness to Rifi’s insistence on turning the page of the past and opening a new page of reconciliation.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that both Siniora and Derbas have worked to end the dispute between Hariri and Rifi. The reconciliation, which took place on Tuesday evening at Siniora’s residence, constituted a big surprise in the Tripoli street.
After emphasizing the unity of the country’s Sunni components, the prime minister pointed to his positive discussions in Riyadh with King Salman.
He was quoted as saying: “We are now witnessing political and media clashes, and I am trying to neutralize them to protect our economic situation, which is going through a delicate period. My first and last concern is to prepare for the briefing of the Cedar Conference, because there is no interest in missing this opportunity.”
