Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri has stressed that he preferred to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin rather than the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar Assad. “I would rather deal with President Putin,” Hariri told Euronews in an interview when asked if he thought he would have to deal with Assad. “I have a very good relationship with Russia, and I have a good relationship with President Putin whom I respect very much, and I believe that he is somebody we can work with,” he said. Asked about reports of a planned offensive in Idlib province that could spell the end of the war in Syria, Hariri said: “Russia controls Syria.” In the interview that was broadcast on Friday, the premier-designate was asked about his relations with “Hezbollah.” He said: “We have political differences. Hezbollah knows that and I know that.” “Hezbollah” will never accept Hariris policies towards the Gulf, and he will never accept their policy towards Iran, the PM-designate stated. Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri said Lebanese cannabis can be used to produce a number of beneficial medical and industrial products if legalized. During an event in the eastern town of Baalbeck, he announced that his Amal Movement submitted a proposal Wednesday to legalize the crop. He said that international demand for the plant was surging amid a global trend toward legalization. He added that “123 counties in the world have legalized its medical use,” and “when legalization happens, the primary beneficiaries will be farmers and landowners – and not the traders and smugglers as is the case now.”