Similarly, stop at the meeting between Assad and Hariri on September 22, 2004, where Assad affirmed to Hariri Syria’s keen interest in him. He praised his cooperation with Syria, especially his acceptance of the extension, saying, “I will not accept any words that come to me from anyone about you, and I will throw them in the trash bin.” He confirmed that he would meet with Prime Minister Hariri at least once a month and would support the government he would form, with Suleiman Franjieh being his only candidate.
He added that Hariri left the meeting “content,” but the surprise was that the former Syrian regime’s Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa said in a party meeting that the formation of Hariri’s government is “unlikely because he conspires against Syria with the French President Jacques Chirac.”
In his memoirs, Abdul-Halim Khaddam recounts details of his meeting with the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, stating: “I had an appointment with Dr. Bashar, and when I went to him, he was upset and tense. He said: (I had Rafik Hariri, and I received him at 7:30 in the morning. I spoke to him clearly and explicitly in the presence of officers, and I told him that it is not allowed for him to work on bringing a president to the republic. I am the one who chooses, and whoever opposes me, I will break his bones).”
He continued: I called Prime Minister Hariri by phone and reproached him for coming to Damascus without contacting me. I said, “I am waiting for you to come to Damascus in a few days.” He replied to me: “My circumstances were very bad, so I did not call you, and after that visit, I will not visit Damascus.”
He also mentioned that while he (Khaddam) was in Paris, President Hariri called him and informed him that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had changed his mind regarding the extension, summoned him to Damascus, and the meeting was short. Assad was tense and informed him that he had decided to support the extension for President Lahoud. He said to him, “You must determine your position: are you with Syria or against it? Go, think about it, and inform me of your decision to agree or refuse.” President Hariri, in his call to me, said, “I want your advice.” So I asked him, “Did you meet with Walid Jumblatt? What was his opinion?” He answered me: “I met with him, and he advised me to agree to the extension and then resign afterward.” So I said to him, “You cannot bear the consequences of refusal. Walid’s advice to you is correct. It’s better to agree, and after that, you leave Lebanon and announce your resignation from abroad.”
He also pointed out that a few days after assigning Prime Minister Hariri to form the government, the “Progressive National Front” in Syria held a meeting where former Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa presented a political presentation on the situation in the region and in Lebanon. One of the members asked him if Hariri would form the government. He replied: “This is unlikely because he is conspiring against Syria with President Jacques Chirac, who receives money from Rafik Hariri.”
It is worth mentioning that on September 22, 2004, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received Hariri in Damascus, and all the topics mentioned were discussed and agreed upon. Assad confirmed to Hariri Syria’s keen interest in him, praised his cooperation with Syria, especially his acceptance of the extension for President Lahoud. Here, Prime Minister Hariri repeated what he had told me about his position toward Syria. Assad said, “I will not accept any words that come to me from any direction about you, and I will throw them in the trash bin.” He confirmed that he would meet with Prime Minister Hariri at least once a month, and he would support the government he would form, with Suleiman Franjieh being his only candidate.
