After returning to Beirut for the first time since he quit abruptly on 4 November in a broadcast from Saudi Arabia, Lebanoese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri shelved his decision to resign at the request of President Michel Aoun, easing a crisis that had deepened tensions in the Middle East.
Hariri told his supporters on Wednesday he would stay with them.
"I am staying with you and will continue with you... to be a line of defense for Lebanon, Lebanon's stability and Lebanon's Arabism," he said to hundreds of people gathered outside his house in central Beirut.
Hariri's sudden resignation on 4 November thrust Lebanon to the forefront of regional tussle between the Sunni monarchy of Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Islamist Iran, whose powerful Lebanese ally Hezbollah is part of the government.
Hariri, a long-time ally of Saudi Arabia, cited fear of assassination and meddling by Iran and Hezbollah in the Arab world in his resignation speech. The move caught even his aides off guard, and politicians close to him say Riyadh forced him to quit and held him in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh and Hariri have denied this.
In a 12 November interview from Saudi Arabia with Future TV, a station affiliated with his political party, Hariri said he would return to Lebanon to confirm his resignation.
But he also held out the possibility of withdrawing it if Hezbollah respected Lebanon's policy of staying out of regional conflicts such as Yemen.
EU Backs Hariri, Appeals for Unity
The European Union had voiced support for Hariri.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said "it is important at this stage to ensure that all political parties in Lebanon maintain the focus on working together."
Mogherini said after hosting talks for EU foreign ministers: "We expect no external interference" in Lebanon's affairs.
She added: "It is essential to avoid importing into Lebanon regional conflicts, regional dynamics, regional tensions, that have to stay out of the country." Mogherini declined to say if she thinks there was external interference in Lebanon.
(With inputs from Reuters and PTI.)
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