Cabinet Meets Tuesday after Deal Reached on Dissociation Statement

The Cabinet will convene Tuesday for the first time since Prime Minister Saad Hariri's Nov. 4 resignation, which he eventually reversed, TV networks reported late on Monday.

The decision to hold the extraordinary session was reached after the political parties reached an agreement on a statement that will reaffirm Lebanon's so-called dissociation policy, the reports said.

According to al-Jadeed TV, the statement will mention dissociating Lebanon from “the regional conflicts.”

The meeting will be held at 12:00 pm at the presidential palace in Baabda.

According to media reports, Speaker Nabih Berri has insisted on “reassuring Saudi Arabia” in the statement.

Hariri had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats and blasting the policies of Iran and Hizbullah in Lebanon and the region.

After a puzzling mini-odyssey that took him to France, Egypt and Cyprus, Hariri arrived back in Lebanon on November 21 and then announced that he was putting his decision to quit on hold ahead of negotiations.

But while Hariri and his Saudi backers seemed on a collision course with Hizbullah last month, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo.

The premier has called for dissociating Lebanon from the regional conflicts through ending Hizbullah’s involvement in them.