NICOSIA, Nov 22 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus can play a substantial role in efforts to normalize the situation in Lebanon, government spokesperson Nicos Christodoulides said on Wednesday
Christodoulides said this hours after Saad al-Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister who resigned unexpectedly earlier this month during a trip to Saudi Arabia, stopped at the eastern Mediterranean island in transit and had a conversation with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades.
Christodoulides said Hariri arrived from Cairo just before midnight and had a 45-minute talk with Anastasiades at the Larnaca International Airport as he was waiting to fly on to Beirut.
"Cyprus can play a substantial role in the Lebanon crisis, making use of its status as a member state of the European Union and its good relations with Arab countries," Christodoulides told the state radio.
He added that there will be concrete initiatives in the next few days which will help normalize the situation in Lebanon.
He did not go into details, but said that Hariri's conversation with Anastasiades overnight was not a chance event and tweeted that it was warm and very constructive.
Anastasiades was one of the few world leaders who spoke with Hariri when the latter was in Saudi Arabia, saying he called the Lebanese leader as a friend to inquire about his welfare.
Hariri had paid a visit to Cyprus a week before, discussing with Anastasiades economic, cultural and military cooperation between the two countries.
