The Next Prime Minister?

What about the future relationship with the United States?

We have always had very good relations with the United States and we should make them even better.

The U.S. labels Hezbollah a terrorist organization. And a key U.S. demand is that Hezbollah be disarmed.

We will disarm them. We will sit and talk to them and we will come to a solution.

Do you see any future relationship between your country and Israel?

I think the peace process -- the Arab initiative that [Saudi] Crown Prince Abdullah launched in 2002 -- was something very serious. We would like to have peace with Israel. We don't want wars. We hope that the peace process moves ahead with us, with the Syrians, with all Arab countries.

But you are not talking about a separate peace?

No.

Look at Jordan. It worked really well in Jordan.

We have nothing against peace, but when we go into peace, we want to go to a negotiation table together. Because Lebanon and Syria are so connected, we have the Golan Heights, everything is connected.

There are separate peaces with both Egypt and Jordan.

Yes, but the political environment was different and Lebanon is a small country. We have Palestinians here and Israel does not want them to go back.

Did you spend most of your life in Saudi Arabia?

I studied in the U.S., in Georgetown -- business administration. I loved it. I was supposed to come [to Saudi Arabia] to work for a year and then after three months, my father became prime minister. So, I couldn't leave.

You were planning to remain a businessman?

Yes. I handled construction and telecommunications.

After your father died, were you chosen by your family to go into politics?

My older brother wanted to continue in business.

And you wanted to go into politics?

At the beginning, no. Then we decided that what my father wanted to achieve had not been achieved. I will do politics for a few years and then retire.

But you said you are willing to be prime minister.

With conditions -- and it is hard to get these conditions . . . How can I be prime minister if I don't have a really big bloc in parliament -- people who will be my allies?

How many members do you want?

At least 90, 95 or 100. . . . [There are 128 seats in parliament.] We will have big [electoral] fights in the north and the Bekaa Valley [where Syrian influence is strong]. We should not think that because the Syrians are out, [that] they don't have constituents here.