The trip was set for earlier time, but was postponed for unspecified reasons.
Riyadh's Saudi charge d’affair Wahid al-Bukhari was in Lebanon the other day,
but it remains unclear whether his trip has anything to do with Hariri's.
Al-Akhbar also wrote that Hariri is scheduled to form the upcoming cabinet of
Lebanon, and it is not clear whether his trip to Riyadh would make the task any
more difficult or easier. The newspaper also reported that Hariri's meeting with
the Saudi Royal Court has been finalized, and it remains unknown whether the
trip would involve Hariri's meeting with senior Riyadh officials like bin Salman.
What is puzzling here is the timing of Sa'd al-Hariri’s traveling to Saudi
Arabia. Considering Hariri's mission to form Lebanon's future cabinet, it is
feared that Riyadh again plans to intervene in Lebanon's internal affairs and
issue instructions on how Hariri's cabinet should be lined up. The public still
remembers Saudis' malicious efforts that threw Michel Aoun out of Lebanon's
presidential nomination and replaced Samir Farid Geagea, from the March 14
Alliance for the position.
Obviously, these interventions will continue until the formation of the Lebanese
cabinet and the next presidential election which they hope to secure a place for
Saad al-Hariri and the March 14 Alliance.
Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil had also referred to the involvement of
Saudi ambassador Waleed Al-Yaqub on Lebanon's parliamentary elections and warned
those in diplomatic career to know their limits and avoid interfering in
Lebanon's internal affairs. In addition, the Al-Akhbar newspaper in a report
also quoted Arab diplomats confirming Saudi Arabia’s effort to influence
Lebanon's elections with the goal of integrating the March 14 Alliance.
The newspaper also reported the imminent travel of a top Saudi delegation to
Lebanon. They are scheduled to hold meeting with Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri,
in order to prioritize his March 14 Alliance as well as a meeting with senior
party Lebanese Forces, led by Samir Farid Geagea.
Another point here is the issue of the guaranteed victory of Lebanese Hezbollah
and resistance in the latest parliamentary elections in the country, a problem
that has deeply worried Saudis. Therefore, they are in such a situation seeking
the most exploitation of their influence in Lebanon, including al-Hariri, to hit
the resistance and overshadow its decisive victory. Hariri's impending journey
to Riyadh is also around that topic.
The Saudis know well that the victory of Lebanon's Hezbollah and resistance
group in the parliamentary elections is just one important and strategic message
that the Lebanese people who are not affected by the participation of
Hezbollah's military forces in trans-boundary wars, especially in Syria. They
support Hezbollah and its military presence beyond the borders of Lebanon.
Saudi officials also know that Lebanese acceptance of Hezbollah means accepting
Hezbollah's policy in confronting the Zionist regime. These are the same
messages that Riyadh officials have received from the results of the Lebanese
elections. Therefore, al-Hariri is the element that has always proved his
dedication to the Saudis and is considered the best Lebanese figure Riyadh can
count on.
Saudi Arabia and its allies have also recently banned Lebanese Hezbollah. This
happened after the United States imposed economic sanctions on a number of
Hezbollah senior officials. In fact, calling Saad al-Hariri to Riyadh at this
time and on the eve of the formation of the cabinet is a piece of the same
puzzle that confronts Lebanese Hezbollah and is part of the Hezbollah sanctions
project.
One of the main goals of announcing the sanctions list against Hezbollah by the
Saudis, a short while prior to the victory of the resistance in the Lebanese
parliamentary elections, was the deviation of public opinion from this great
victory. The Saudis tried to convey the message to the Lebanese people that the
continuation of support for Hezbollah was not a good option, and did not result
in the isolation of Lebanon from the Arab and international community, while
distracting the public from the great achievement of the resistance.
Another purpose of Riyadh to engage in hostile sanctions against Hezbollah is to
influence the process of forming a future government in Lebanon, which is due
soon. What the Saudis want from the Lebanese future government is to respect the
interests of Riyadh.
The Saudis have warned Hezbollah with imposed sanctions that it should also
focus on the benefits of building a new government. The warning is that the
election results clearly indicate that Hezbollah can establish a cabinet in line
with its own approaches, especially in foreign policy, due to its decisive
victory during the parliamentary elections. According to the above, it is by no
means possible to consider two issues of "sanctions on Hezbollah" and "calling
Hariri to Riyadh" by the Saudis as separate and unrelated issues.
In any case, as it seems, Saad al-Hariri has neither learned from the failure of
the Lebanese parliamentary election, nor from the bitter experience of arrest in
Saudi Arabia, an incident confirmed by the French President Emanuel Macron. In
an interview with the BFM network, Macron pointed to this fact. However, Saad
al-Hariri continues to be influenced by the indoctrination of the House of Saud
who has no mercy on him or his political activities in Lebanon.
Undoubtedly, with the victory of Lebanon's Hezbollah and Lebanese parliamentary
election resistance, the political equation in the country has changed
completely, and the Saudis can no longer dictate their demands on their
subordinate element, Saad al-Hariri, and change the political developments in
Lebanon in their favor. Therefore, the conditions prevailing today in Lebanon
are very different from what we witnessed before the parliamentary elections,
and this is something that has been neglected by the Saudi authorities.
By Ramin Hossein Abadian
Source: MNA