Lebanese president begins visit to Iran on Monday
Lebanese President Michel Sleiman begins on Monday a two-day visit to Iran for political and economic talks at the invitation of Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a government official said.
"The president will discuss everything: political and economic issues, bilateral relations, the situation in the Middle East, the peace process," the official, who declined to be named, told AFP on Sunday.
Talks will also include efforts to forge a "national defence strategy" for Lebanon — where Hezbollah”s arsenal remains a thorny issue — the official said.
Shiite-majority Iran is a staunch supporter of the Shiite Hezbollah group, which is also backed by Syria. But Tehran has repeatedly denied Western and Israeli charges that it provides military backing to Hezbollah.
Last May, Hezbollah staged a spectacular takeover of mainly Sunni parts of west Beirut, amid deadly clashes which brought the country to the brink of another civil war and left at least 68 people dead.
The fighting ended after an accord was struck in Qatar between the Western-backed parliamentary majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition, which also called for the development of a national defence strategy.
"The national defense strategy in an internal Lebanese issue, however, … I believe they will discuss this issue (in Iran)," the official said.
Hezbollah has rejected calls to disarm, arguing that its weapons and militia are essential to defend the country against Israel. But majority MPs have argued that the weapons undermine the state”s authority.
Sleiman — the third Lebanese president to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution — will be accompanied by six ministers including Hezbollah Labour Minister Mohamed Fneish, Foreign Minister Fawzi Sallukh and Interior Minister Ziad Baroud.