Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in Turkey
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri in Turkey
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri met Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday as he sought international support after his government has collapsed.
Erdogan welcomed his Lebanese counterpart at the entrance of Prime Minister’s Office upon the latter’s arrival.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu was also present at the closed-door meeting.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri arrived in the Turkish capital, around 1:30 a.m. (23:30 GMT Thursday) for talks with Turkish leaders and get Ankara’s backing.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri ‘s visit comes just two days after his government collapsed following resignations of 11 cabinet ministers, members of Hezbollah-led alliance.
Saad al-Hariri was meeting US President Barack Obama in Washington on Wednesday as the alliance announced pulling out of the government. He made a stop in France on Thursday for talks with President Nicholas Sarkozy en route to Turkey as he sought international support.
Lebanon’s national unity government has collapsed after Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned over a UN-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri.
The state-run National News Agency of Lebanon announced that 11 ministers stepped down from the 30-member cabinet headed by Saad al-Hariri, the slain prime minister’s son. Hezbollah needed the backing of more than a third of the ministers to bring down the government.
In an earlier statement, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that stability of Lebanon was important for the stability of the region, and they would discuss the steps which could be taken to restore stability in Lebanon with al-Hariri.
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