President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi with Lebanese Prime Minister and Leader of the Future Movement, Saad Al Hariri in Cairo on March 8, 2015- Press Photo
CAIRO – 21 November 2017: Lebanese Premier Saad al-Hariri, who resigned on November 4, will meet with Egypt's President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi in Cairo within a few hours, Hariri revealed on Tuesday.
On his Twitter account, Hariri added that he will have a dinner with Sisi in Cairo after their meeting.
Egypt’s presidential spokesperson Bassem Rady told Egypt Today earlier that the meeting was set on Sisi’s Tuesday’s agenda late Monday, following an earlier denial from the Egyptian side.
“Sisi and Hariri will discuss the latest developments in Lebanon and the region,” Rady added.
Egypt and France have played the role of mediator to resolve the Lebanese political crisis, caused by the sudden resignation of the Sunni premier, Lebanese news reports revealed on Tuesday.
The reports stressed that Cairo and Paris have persuaded Hariri to remain in office and avoid a political chaos that may occur if the resignation is approved.
Sisi arrived in Cairo a few hours ago, coming from Nicosia, Cyprus’s capital, where he paid his first official visit to the country. After the tripartite talks, the three leaders signed a Memorandum of Cooperation.
Hariri has been in Paris since Saturday, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron and has said he will return to Lebanon by Wednesday.
Sisi and Macron discussed several topics of mutual interest during a phone call on Saturday evening, according to a statement issued by Egypt’s presidency on Sunday. Both leaders spoke about conditions in the Middle East, brainstorming ways to stabilize and restore peace in the region, the statement read.
Hariri’s resignation sparked a political crisis in Lebanon and put it on the front line of a regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Hariri criticized Iran and its ally Hezbollah during his resignation statement and said he feared assassination. Apart from a brief trip to Abu Dhabi, he remained in Saudi Arabia until he flew to France on Saturday.
His stay in the kingdom led to accusations from Lebanese officials and politicians that Saudi Arabia had coerced him to resign, which he and Riyadh denied.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry embarked on a three-day tour to six Arab countries amid Hariri’s resignation consequences.
During his tour, Shoukry stressed the importance of preserving Arab solidarity in the face of the various challenges encountered by the Arab countries in the region, according to Egyptian Foreign Ministry statements.
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