Saad al-Hariri, Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader, returned to Lebanon on Saturday night, more than six months after he left the country because of security worries, an aide said.

Hariri returned to Beirut three days before Lebanon marked the first anniversary of the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.

Hariri left Lebanon in late July and weeks later said a plot to kill him had been uncovered. He spent most of his time in France and in Saudi Arabia, meeting the leaders of both countries.

Hariri also held talks last month with U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington.

A U.N. inquiry into the Feb. 14, 2005, killing of Hariri's father has implicated Syrian security officials and their Lebanese allies in the murder.

After the murder, large demonstrations in Lebanon forced Syria to bow to international pressure and end its 29-year military presence in Lebanon in April.

Saad al-Hariri led an anti-Syrian coalition to victory in parliamentary elections in May and June. He has demanded that those responsible for his father's death be brought to justice and remains a fierce critic of Damascus.

Syria denies any role in the assassination of Hariri.

PHOTO CAPTION

George Bush meets Lebanon's parliamentary majority leader Saad al-Hariri in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 27, 2006. (REUTERS)