Hezbollah Hails Hariri Moves as Positive

Hezbollah has welcomed Prime Minister Saad Hariri's decision to suspend his resignation pending talks, describing his move as “positive.”

Hezbollah 's parliamentary group said in a statement Thursday that the party was "very satisfied with the political developments", Naharnet reported.

"The return of the head of government, his positive comments and the consultations offer a glimpse of a return to normalcy," it said.

Hariri, who returned from a mysterious nearly three-week-long stay abroad, had caused widespread perplexity on November 4 when he resigned during a TV broadcast from Saudi Arabia, citing assassination threats as well as the negative impact on Lebanon and the region of Hezbollah

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

Hariri, a 47-year-old politician whose family made its fortune in Saudi Arabia and whose Future Movement is supported by Riyadh, said upon his return that Lebanon should remain neutral in the region.

Many questions remain unanswered following the unprecedented scenario that saw Lebanon's prime minister resign in a foreign country suspected of keeping him under house arrest and return only after the apparent intervention of France.

But while Hariri and his backers seemed on a collision course with Hezbollah only a few days ago, an apparent behind-the-scenes deal now appears to be restoring the status quo.