- President Aoun said Hariri will keep his position
- He added that Lebanon's political crisis will be resolved "within days"
- He traveled to Italy to meet with President Mattarella
- He will also inaugurate the annual Euro-Mediterranean Dialogue Conference on Thursday
Prime Minister Saad Hariri will maintain his position, and Lebanon's political crisis will be resolved "within days," President Michel Aoun said in an interview published Wednesday in Italian newspaper La Stamp.
Aoun told the publication that the political crisis sparked by Hariri’s shock resignation announcement, and the prime minister’s subsequent decision to postpone his step-down, "will be definitively solved within days."
The president added, "We have just finished deliberations with all the political forces in the country. There is a wide agreement."
Aoun arrived in Rome early Wednesday for an official three-day visit to Italy, according to a statement released by the presidency.
Aoun, who traveled with Lebanese first lady Nadia al-Shami Aoun, embarked on the trip at the invitation of Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
Aoun will hold talks with Mattarella at the Italian presidential palace on the issue of Lebanese-Italian relations and the means of developing this relationship further.
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The two are also expected to discuss recent developments in Lebanon and the Middle East.
Aoun is set to meet with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, as well as members of the Lebanese community in Rome.
He will also inaugurate the annual Euro-Mediterranean Dialogue Conference on Thursday, the statement from the president's office reported.
Hariri announced his resignation Nov. 4, in a televised announcement broadcast from the Saudi capital Riyadh. On Nov. 22, after his return to Beirut following an 18-day absence, he agreed to put his resignation on hold at the request of Aoun.
Since Hariri’s return to Lebanon, the country’s political leadership has made a concerted effort to engage in dialogue to hammer out a political agreement and allow the government to resume its work.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
