France: Lebanese PM Hariri not in house-arrest in Saudi Arabia

According to Lebanon, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri is under house-arrest in Saudi Arabia but on Friday France's foreign minister said that he believes that former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri was not under house arrest in Saudi Arabia and do not have any particular constraints on his movements.

“As far as we know, yes. We think he is free of his movements and it’s important he makes his own choices,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told Europe 1 radio.

France’s ambassador to Saudi met Hariri on Thursday before President Emmanuel Macron’s unscheduled visit to Riyadh to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, diplomats said. It was unclear whether Macron had any contact with Hariri during his stopover in the Saudi capital

Paris has close ties with Lebanon, a former colony, and with Hariri, who has a home in France after spending several years in the country. Macron said in Dubai on Thursday there had been informal contacts with Hariri, but no request to transfer him to France.

“Our concern is the stability of Lebanon and that a political solution can be put in place rapidly,” he added.