REPORT: Hollande exclusive meeting with Sleiman conveys message against gvt

French President Francois Hollande limited his meetings in Beirut to President Michel Sleiman; he did not meet with Prime Minister Najib Mikati while in Riyadh, he met with the entire royal family in addition to former PM Saad Hariri.    

Sources close to Hariri said that what Hollande did conveys a clear joint Saudi-French message to the Lebanese government: “The government must resign and there is an Arab and international conviction that it no longer is capable of operating."        

Former PM Saad Hariri explained the stance of March 14 in a clear message addressed to President Hollande which reached the majority of states concerned with Lebanon. The message was as follows: "the current government’s mission is to provide a cover for Bashar Assad’s project to burn down our country."          

Sources close to Hariri said that the Riyadh summit did not tackle March 14’s participation in the national dialogue, adding that the international community is now calling for the formation of a new government. 


For the full LBCI report, watch the video above [to be uploaded shortly]