Jumblatt back from Riyadh, did not see Hariri

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt returned to Beirut Tuesday night following what appeared to be a two-day fence-mending visit to Saudi Arabia. Jumblatt did not meet former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who currently resides in Riyadh, political sources told The Daily Star. It also remained unclear whether Jumblatt held talks with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdel-Aziz. Hariri and Jumblatt have not met since the latter supported Najib Mikati, Hariri’s rival, for the premiership in January last year in what the Future Movement and its March 14 allies called “a Hezbollah-led coup” that toppled Hariri’s Cabinet. Jumblatt’s policy shift had led to a new Parliament majority, including Hezbollah and its March 8 allies, which propelled Mikati to premiership. Jumblatt met Tuesday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal during a visit that apparently broke the ice between the two sides. The meeting was attended by Chouf MP Nehme Tohme, a member of Jumblatt’s parliamentary bloc, and Jumblatt’s son, Taymour, according to a statement released by the PSP’s media office. The terse statement, which gave no details of the talks, said Jumblatt met Prince Saud while on “a private visit” to Saudi Arabia at Tohme’s invitation. A parliamentary source said Jumblatt’s visit to Saudi Arabia would not have any impact on the situation in Lebanon with regard to creating new political alliances or bringing a Cabinet change. “There will be no impact on the situation in Lebanon. Jumblatt went to Saudi Arabia to explain his viewpoints since the toppling of the Hariri government,” the source told The Daily Star. Sources close to Jumblatt said that his visit has healed the rift between the PSP leader and Saudi Arabia. However, the sources said that Jumbatt’s visit would not have any important impact on the situation in Lebanon, particularly with regard to the fate of the Mikati government.