English/Nat Prime Minister-designate Rafik Hariri believes he now stands a strong chance of creating a prosperous Lebanon - his fortunes improved mainly by Israel's withdrawal from south Lebanon five months ago. Hariri gave an exclusive interview on Thursday to Associated Press. Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, following consultations with legislators, has appointed Hariri to form the next Cabinet. Lahoud had no choice but to name Hariri, with whom he has feuded for the last two years, after an overwhelming majority of legislators in the 128-member Parliament threw their lot behind Hariri. On Thursday, Hariri chose a 30-member Cabinet of old and new faces, calling it "the government of reconciliation and development". Lebanon is counting on Hariri - who initiated a multi-billion dollar plan to rebuild Lebanon from the devastation of the 1975-90 civil war - to employ his business expertise and vast international contacts to heal an ailing economy and restore investor confidence. Toward the end of his previous 1992-1998 tenure, he was criticised for saddling the economy with a national debt of 22 billion dollars (US) . Hariri will also have to deal with the Middle East crisis. Renewed tension on the Lebanese-Israeli border was sparked by the capture of four Israelis by Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas earlier this month. The crisis ended nearly five months of calm following the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Commenting on whether his government would be ready to mediate or arrange a prisoner swap with Israel, Hariri said the government "has to take all steps and measures to liberate Lebanese prisoners" in Israeli jails. Citing the abiding border tension as well as an explosive regional situation sparked by violence between Israel and the Palestinians, Hariri, who described himself as "a man who believes in peace", said he will do all that is in his power to overcome local and regional obstacles. SOUNDBITE: (English): " I believe we have to open the economy as much as we can, we have to overcome all the obstacles and try to make Lebanon as the commercial and financial center for the middle east." SUPER CAPTION:Prime Minister-designate Rafik Hariri SOUNDBITE:(English) "We need to have our prisoners. Israel detained Lebanese citizens and kidnapped them from Lebanon and this is unjust so we have to see how we can solve this problem. SUPER CAPTION:Prime Minister-designate Rafik Hariri SOUNDBITE:(English) " You know there's a consensus in Lebanon that Israel has to withdraw from all Lebanese territories anyway for me, I believe in peace and I believe that we have to do anything to achieve peace in the region. I know that now the whole region is blowing up and there are lots of problems between the Palestinians and the Israelis but this make us work harder to find a peaceful solution to all middle east problems." SUPER CAPTION:Prime Minister-designate Rafik Hariri You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/021b3467598d15ba3af909cf83769f71 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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