Lebanon's Hariri says is not a candidate for PM

Lebanon's Saad al-Hariri said on Wednesday he is not a candidate for prime minister but insisted that formal consultations to designate a new premier take place on Thursday as scheduled.

"I announce that I will not be a candidate to form the coming government," Hariri, prime minister in the outgoing government, said in a statement.

(Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Jon Boyle)