BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in London Sunday evening after concluding a one-day official visit to Kuwait.
Hariri is scheduled to hold talks Monday with British Prime Minister David Cameron, British Foreign Minister William Hague, Prince Charles and an array of Lebanese businessmen residing in Britain.
The premier will be accompanied by Defense Minister Elias Murr and his advisers.
Earlier Sunday, Hariri held talks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah and his Kuwaiti counterpart Nasser al-Mohammad al-Jaber al-Sabah at the Bayan palace in the city of Kuwait.
Hariri discussed with the two the situation in Iraq and in the Palestinian occupied territories along with Israeli violations.
He agreed with the Kuwaiti leaders to soon hold a meeting for the Lebanese-Kuwaiti High Commission in Beirut.
Hariri detailed a number of investment projects in which Kuwait could take part.
Kuwaiti Crown Prince Nawwaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, Kuwaiti Prime Minister and a number of Kuwaiti officials participated in the meeting.
A Lebanese delegation composed of the Minister of the Displaced Akram Shehayeb, former MP Bassem Sabaa, Lebanese Ambassador to Kuwait Bassam Naamani, Hariri’s aide Nader Hariri and advisers Hani Hammoud and Fadi Fawwaz also took part in the talks.
Hariri held separate talks with his Kuwaiti counterpart at the Emiri Diwan.
Delivering a speech at the opening session of the “Second Kuwait Financial Reform 2010” in the city of Kuwait, Hariri said Lebanon “looked forward to approaching its political crises with awareness and responsibility.”
“We look forward to … avoiding drifting into what could harm the national stability and hinder the will of dialogue and communication among the Lebanese,” he said.
The event was organized under the patronage of the Kuwaiti prime minister.
“The experiences of the past years are enough to draw lessons from and make sure that we have no choice but solidarity in order to strengthen our national unity and start the work to continue rebuilding Lebanon, and give the national unity government a chance to invest in the stability so that it can be able to play its role in the economic and social investment,” Hariri said.
“The experiences of the past years are enough to draw lessons from and make sure that we have no choice but solidarity in order to strengthen our national unity and start the work to continue rebuilding Lebanon, and give the national unity government a chance to invest in the stability so that it can be able to play its role in the economic and social investment,” Hariri said.
Lebanon has plunged into its worst political crisis in two years with rumors that an impending indictment by a UN-backed tribunal probing the murder of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, – Saad Hariri’s father – would indict members from Hizbullah.
The Hizbullah-led March 8 coalition said the court aimed at targeting the resistance, while rival March 14 forces headed by Hariri considered the tribunal the only chance to punish murderers.
Hariri said Lebanon’s chance would not be lost “and I am totally confident that time will not go backward and that this country in which you placed high hopes in the past will always be a place of trust in the future.”
He urged Iraqi political factions not to waste the “golden opportunity” of meeting in Riyadh on the invitation of Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdel-Aziz to resolve differences over the formation of a government.
Separately, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon telephoned Hariri Friday evening during which the two discussed the incident two investigators from the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) experienced last week in the Beirut southern suburbs.
The two investigators were prevented from carrying out their investigations at a gynecology clinic in Beirut’s southern suburbs when they were accosted by an angry crowd of women.
Ban and Hariri stressed Lebanon’s commitment to respect the international legitimacy in order to serve the proper conduct of the investigation and the imperatives of justice. – The Daily Star
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