Ahmadinejad: Lebanon Disappointed Enemy Forever!

[Mac Seafraidh]

Hussein Assi

24/11/2008 In the framework of his worldwide tour aimed at raising Lebanon's voice and consolidating ties with regional powers, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman arrived Monday morning in Tehran where a summit joined him Monday to his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the beginning of a two-day "historic" official visit.
 
According to state news agency IRNA, Ahmadinejad praised during the meeting with Suleiman the Lebanese resistance against Israel, emphasizing that that Israeli 34-day July 2006 against Lebanon led to "many achievements for the Lebanese people and the region."
   
"The Lebanese disappointed the enemy forever and crushed the myth of the enemies' invincibility," Ahmadinejad told Suleiman. "The attack two years ago which was intended to destroy this country became a turning point for recovering Lebanon's identity and unity," the Iranian President stressed.
   
For his part, Suleiman described relations between Tehran and Beirut as "good" and said his visit was aimed at "meeting senior Iranian officials and strengthening bilateral ties," IRNA reported. "We are grateful that the Islamic republic of Iran has always stood by the Lebanese people and government," IRNA quoted Suleiman as saying.
 
Suleiman, who is accompanied by his wife, Wafaa Suleiman, and six ministers, was earlier welcomed at the airport by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and Housing Minister Mohammad Saeedi Kia, state broadcasters' websites said. Many Arab ambassadors to Tehran also appeared at the airport to welcome Suleiman, the third Lebanese President to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
 
The Lebanese delegation includes Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud, Minister of Economy and Trade Mohammad Safadi, Labor Minister Mohammad Fneish, Minister of Industry Ghazi Zeaiter and Minister of the Displaced Raymond Audi.
 
On Sunday, a Lebanese official declared that "the president will discuss everything during his Iran's trip: political and economic issues, bilateral relations, the situation in the Middle East, the peace process." Talks will also include efforts to forge a "national defense strategy" for Lebanon, the official said.
 
Press reports said that Iran plans to propose providing Lebanon with heavy weapons during Suleiman's visit to Tehran. Pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reported that Tehran would propose to Suleiman providing the Lebanese army with military assistance, including heavy weapons like missiles. It quoted sources as saying that Iran also considers carrying out investments and building enterprises in various fields.
 
For its part, Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar quoted well-informed sources as saying that Suleiman's visit comes in the framework of an Iranian wish to build "state to state relations with Lebanon starting with the country's head." The sources noted that the talks would re-launch the work of the joint Lebanese-Iranian committee that was frozen two years ago, stressing that this committee would be concerned with establishing economic, military and cultural agreements between Beirut and Tehran.
 
The sources stressed that Tehran was more than ready to study any Lebanese request, whenever submitted by the Lebanese government, to provide the army with military equipment or support of any kind. The sources said that Iran has, previously, presented a specific proposal to the Lebanese government. "But the political differences that were somehow reflected in the military institution resulted in its refusal," the sources noted, adding that, however, "circumstances were a lot different nowadays."
 
RAAD EXPECTS VISIT TO BE GOOD IN CONTENT & FORM
Meanwhile, the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Mohamad Raad expected Suleiman's visit to Tehran to be "good in content and form".
 
Raad, who was speaking to reporters following a Hezbollah delegation visit to the Baabda Presidential Palace on Sunday, stressed that the president's visit to Tehran will resume normal relations between the two peoples. He stressed the importance of unifying efforts to safeguard independence and bolster Lebanon's capabilities in the face of the possible threats and aggressions.

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