Suleiman Requested Medium Weapons from Iran and to Shift its Support to Lebanese State
President Michel Suleiman has requested medium weapons from Iran during his visit to Tehran, press reports said Wednesday.
The daily An Nahar said Suleiman made clear during his official visit to Tehran Nov. 24-25 that he was not seeking to obtain long-range missiles or jet fighters, but modern medium arms that would help the Lebanese army combat terrorism and maintain national security.
An Nahar quoted one source in the accompanying delegation as saying that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad whispered to Suleiman as he bid him farewell: "Meeting Lebanon”s demands is subject to one signal from you. You should not worry."
Suleiman stressed Lebanon”s rejection to the naturalization of Palestinians and urged Iranian support in this regard.
An Nahar said the Iranian side promised to "use its good offices to help Lebanon in this regard." The Iranians also vowed to support Lebanon in all key dossiers, particularly national dialogue.
Meanwhile, Iran”s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Lebanese factions to unite against Israel as he met Suleiman.
"The Islamic republic believes the capacity of all Lebanese groups must be used to reinforce the unity and strength of Lebanon to confront the danger of the Zionist regime," Khamenei said.
"Unity among Lebanese political and ethnic groups is the only way to progress in this country," Khamenei told Suleiman.
The supreme leader praised Suleiman for "supporting the Islamic resistance (Hizbullah), his efforts to strengthen national unity and maintaining the national character of the Lebanese army."
Khamenei vowed that Iran would always stand by Lebanon and praised the "historic victory against the Zionist regime" in the 34-day war between Hizbullah and Israel in summer 2006.
"Over the past 60 years no Muslim and Arab countries have been able to stand against the Zionist regime but the Lebanese people managed to break this spell, by defeating and pushing out the Zionist army," he added.
Iran is a staunch supporter of Hizbullah, which is also backed by Syria. However, Tehran has repeatedly denied Western and Israeli charges that it provides military backing to Hizbullah.
A Lebanese government official said on Sunday that talks with Iranian officials would include efforts to forge a "national defense strategy" for Lebanon, where Hizbullah”s arsenal remains a thorny issue.
Suleiman is the third Lebanese president to visit Iran since its 1979 Islamic revolution.
He met with Ahmadinejad and Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and visited a weapons exhibition.