A Large Lebanese Delegation Visited Riyadh to Offer Condolences and Met Hariri

A large Lebanese delegation visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to offer condolences on the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz, then visited President Saad Hariri at his residence in the Saudi capital Riyadh and dined at his table, “and conversations took place that covered the various conditions in Lebanon and the region”, according to a statement issued by Hariri's media office.
The statement read:
“This afternoon there arrived in Riyadh in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia an extended delegation of deputies, politicians, Muslim and Christian religious men, representatives of associations, businessmen, media people and figures invited by President Saad Hariri to offer condolences on the death of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz.
The delegation comprised: President Michel Sleiman, President Amin Gemayel, President Fouad Siniora, the deputy speaker of parliament Farid Makari, the Minister of the Interior Nohad Machnouk, the president of the Lebanese Forces party Dr Samir Geagea and his wife the deputy Strida Geagea, the former minister Elie Skaff, the director of President Hariri's office Mr Nader Hariri, the deputies: Bahia Hariri, Dory Chamoun, Samir Al-Jisr, Jean Oghassabian, Atef Majdalani, Antoine Zahra, Fadi Karam, Assem Araji, Mohammad Kabbani, Ammar Houri, Mohammad Al-Hajjar, Hadi Hobeish and Amin Wehbe; the former minister Tarek Mitri, the coordinator of the general secretariat of the «14 March» forces Dr Fares Souaid, the former deputies: Camille Ziadeh and Mustafa Hashem, the president of the Independence Movement Michel Moawad, the mufti of the republic Sheikh Abdel Latif Derian, the mufti of Tripoli and the north Sheikh Malek Al-Shaar, the mufti of Sidon and the south Sheikh Salim Sousan, the mufti of Zahle and the Bekaa Sheikh Khalil Al-Mais, the eminent Jaafari mufti Sheikh Ahmad Abdel Amir Kabalan, the mufti of Jabal Amel Sheikh Hassan Abdallah, the representative of Allama Ali Fadlallah, Sheikh Mohammad Baqir Fadlallah, the representative of the sheikh of the Druze Unitarian community Sheikh Naim Hassan, Sheikh Ghandi Makarem, the Maronite archbishop of Beirut Bishop Paul Matar, the representative of Catholicos Aram I Keshishian Bishop George Panossian, Bishop Cyrille Salim Bustros, for the Islamic Makassed Charitable Association the engineer Bassam Barghout, for the Islamic Orphanage the former minister Khaled Kabbani and the lawyer Farouk Jaber, for the Supreme Islamic Sharia Council the former minister Omar Miskawi, the president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Beirut Mohammad Choucair, the president of Beirut municipality Bilal Hamad, the head of the press syndicate Awni Al-Kaaki, and a number of newspaper editors-in-chief and chairmen of television station boards.
In the evening the delegation went, accompanied by President Hariri, to the royal court, where condolences were offered to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, the crown prince Prince Muqrin Bin Abdulaziz and the deputy crown prince Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef Bin Abdulaziz on the death of King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz.

While offering condolences President Hariri met Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Tammam Salam, and also shook hands with a number of heads of Arab and foreign delegations and of those offering condolences, among them the vice-president of the Emirates, prime minister and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and the Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The delegation then visited President Hariri at his residence in Riyadh and dined at his table, and conversations took place that covered the various conditions in Lebanon and the region.