French President Emmanuel Macron (R) welcomes Lebanese Prime Minister on resignation Saad Hariri at Elysee Palace in Paris, France on Nov. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)
PARIS, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron received Lebanese Prime Minister on resignation Saad Hariri at Elysee Palace Saturday.
Although there is no official statement from the presidency by far, Macron tweeted on his Twitter account to Hariri: "Ahlan wa sahlan! Bienvenu a Paris" (Welcome to Paris).
Prior to the meeting, Macron had spoken on the phone with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, who "thanked him for the action of France in favor of Lebanon", Elysee said, according to French press.
France is trying to mediate in an attempt to break the impasse caused by the surprise resignation of Hariri announced on Nov. 4.
