Lebanese President Michel Aoun said Monday (November 13th) he was happy to hear resigned prime minister Saad al-Hariri would be returning to Beirut from Saudi Arabia "soon", AFP reported.
Al-Hariri stepped down from his post during a televised address from Riyadh more than a week ago and has remained in the Saudi capital, sparking rumours he was under de facto house arrest.
But he pledged during a television interview on Sunday night that he would be home within days, a development welcomed by Aoun.
"I was happy with Prime Minister al-Hariri's announcement that he would return to Lebanon soon," Aoun said on Twitter.
"I am awaiting this return to discuss with the prime minister the issue of the resignation, the reasons for it and the circumstances, issues, and concerns that need to be resolved," he added in an emailed statement.
Aoun had said on Sunday that al-Hariri appeared to be "restricted" in his movements and demanded Riyadh clarify why he had not returned to Beirut.
In Sunday's interview with his party's Future TV, al-Hariri, 47, said he was free to travel and would return to Lebanon in "two or three days".
"I will return to Lebanon very soon to initiate the necessary constitutional procedures," he said with reference to his resignation.
