Hizbullah Delegation Visits Hariri Offering Condolences

On the eve of the fifth anniversary of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, a delegation representing Hizbullah paid a visit on Saturday to Hariri's son, Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The delegation, headed by the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc MP Mohammad Raad, renewed the party's condolences to the family of the late PM.

Meanwhile, well-informed sources told Al-Manar that the head of the Democratic Gathering MP Walid Jumblatt, who already announced that he would participate in the rally held in the occasion as a Lebanese citizen despite his withdrawal from the "March 14" coalition, would visit Hariri in the early morning. Alongside him, he would head to the Martyrs' square. Once Hariri starts delivering his speech, Jumblatt would return home confirming his new positioning.

Earlier, Hariri described in a TV interview his visit to Damascus late last year as part of efforts to build relations between two states and two peoples. "There are positive contacts with Syrian President Bashar Assad" who also wants state-to-state ties.

Hariri said Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat remained a "main ally" to the Future movement, adding it was his "democratic right" to hold a different political opinion.

Hariri also vowed to follow in his father's footsteps. "Rafik Hariri opted for the path of coexistence between the Lebanese and was keen on preserving the unity, stability and development" of the country, he told visitors Friday.