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US refuses to comment on reports of Hariri’s detention in Saudi

November 10, 2017 at 2:45 pm

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri (L) and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman Al Saud [ArabianVeritas/Twitter]

Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Heather Nauert,  yesterday refused to comment on reports that former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri is being detained in Saudi Arabia following his resignation.

At a press conference Nauert said the chargé d’affaires in the American embassy in Riyadh met with Hariri on Wednesday, however she gave no details of where the meeting took place or any other information.

She described the talks between Hariri and the American charge d’affaires as “sensitive, private and diplomatic”.

Two top Lebanese government officials said yesterday that Riyadh was holding Hariri captive and a third told Reuters that the Saudi authorities had ordered Hariri to resign while he was in Riyadh last weekend, and put him under house arrest.

However, France’s foreign minister said today he believed Hariri was not under house arrest in Saudi Arabia and did not have any particular constraints on his movements.

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