Resigned Lebanon PM says has ‘excellent’ ties with Saudi crown prince

A worker stands in front of a poster of outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri with Arabic words that read, “We are all Saad,”, in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017. Lebanon’s president has called on Saudi Arabia to clarify the reasons why the country’s prime minister has not returned home since his resignation which was announced from the kingdom. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Lebanon’s resigned prime minister Saad Hariri said on Sunday that he has “excellent” ties with Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in a television interview from Riyadh.

Hariri appeared to be trying to put to rest rumours swirling since his shock resignation on November 4 that the Saudi crown prince had pressured him to step down.

“Really, I consider him a brother and he considers me a brother. It’s an excellent and special relationship,” Hariri told Future TV.