Lebanon's Hariri in Cyprus talks ahead of return home

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Larnaca, Cyprus: Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri stopped off late Tuesday in Cyprus on his way back to his home country, following his surprise resignation amid an escalating regional crisis.

A statement from his press office in Beirut said Hariri flew in from Cairo to meet President Nicos Anastasiades for talks on "the latest developments in Lebanon and the region".

Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides tweeted that the two leaders had a "warm and fruitful" meeting.

Hariri has been absent from Lebanon since his November 4 resignation in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia sparked rumours he was being held there against his will, which both he and Saudi officials have denied.

The Lebanese premier has said he would be in Beirut for the country's independence day celebrations on Wednesday, and that he would clarify his position once he had returned home.

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