Region | Lebanon
Lebanon president begins Iran trip
Lebanese president Michel Sulaiman on Monday began his first official visit to Tehran since his election six months ago. Many analysts in Beirut hope the visit will open the door for better bilateral relations.
- By Jumana Al Tamimi, Associate Editor
- Published: 23:35 November 24, 2008
- Lebanese President Sulaiman accompanied by his Iranian counterpart Ahmadinejad, reviews an honour guard during a welcoming ceremony in Tehran.
- Image Credit: AP
Dubai: Lebanese president Michel Sulaiman on Monday began his first official visit to Tehran since his election six months ago. Many analysts in Beirut hope the visit will open the door for better bilateral relations.
Iranian state television showed Sulaiman being welcomed by Iran's Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki at the Tehran Airport at the beginning of his two-day visit.
Both Lebanese and non-Lebanese press reports said the Iranian-Lebanese meeting will include talks on defence cooperation. Reports quoted Hezbollah sources saying that Iran may offer Sulaiman military aid, including missile systems.
Political analysts in Beirut said these reports lack accuracy.
"Iran has offered military aid to the Lebanese army," Sate' Nour Al Deen, editor of As Safir newspaper in Lebanon said.
"Lebanon has refused the aid because its political price would be very high on Lebanon, and it will cut the American and European aid to the country," he told Gulf News in an interview.
"What concerns us as Lebanese is to develop the relations between Lebanon and Iran in a state-to-state manner and not between state and political parties. We want official relations between two states."
There were also expectations that the future of weaponry held by Hezbollah would be discussed. But analysts in both Beirut and Tehran exclude such a possibility.
Hezbollah has rejected demands to disarm and has insisted that its weapons are needed to protect Lebanon against Israel.
"Hezbollah arms," Iranian veteran politician Sabah Zanghani said, "and other internal Lebanese issues, are up to the Lebanese to deal with after the Lebanese have suffered from the Israeli occupation," he told Gulf News.
"The Lebanese are fully aware of the danger Israel poses to them," he added.
Sulaiman is accompanied by a delegation of high ranking ministers, and is scheduled to meet his counterpart, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad among others.
Share this article
Popular in News
News Editor's choice
-
Ajtebi's phenomenal assent
The former camel jockey was at the peak of his powers when upstaging Garret Gomez
-
US pushing for more aid to Philippines
Obama administration eyeing $667m security assistance package
-
Mohammad launches H1N1 campaign
Shaikh Mohammad was the first one to receive the H1N1 vaccine.
