Boroujerdi Says Iran Keen on Lebanon's Stability, Baabda Deadlock is Local Issue
Chairman of Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Friday that Tehran was keen on Lebanon's stability and stressed it was up to the Lebanese rival factions to resolve the presidential impasse.
“The latest political developments in the region help consolidate stability in Lebanon,” said Boroujerdi following talks with Prime Minister Tammam Salam at the Grand Serail.
“The more ties were consolidated among countries in the region, the more there will be stability,” he said.
Boroujerdi also told reporters that Iran's policy is based on building the best of relations with the region's countries, including Saudi Arabia.
“The Iranian FM recently visited Saudi Arabia to represent Tehran in the funeral of Saudi King Abdullah,” he said.
He made similar remarks following talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.
Ahead of his meeting with Salam, the Iranian official met with Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil at Bustros Palace.
“Tehran gives particular importance to all that leads to the consolidation of security and stability not just in Lebanon but in the entire region,” he said.
Boroujerdi hoped that his visit to Beirut would lead to the improvement of bilateral ties in all fields.
Asked whether he discussed with Bassil the presidential deadlock, the lawmaker said: “This is a Lebanese issue but we hope for a quick solution.”
Baabda Palace has been vacant since President Michel Suleiman's six-year term ended in May.
Boroujerdi was also asked about Israeli accusations that Tehran stood behind Hizbullah's deadly attack on an Israeli military convoy on Wednesday.
“Hizbullah is a major component of the political society in Lebanon and has MPs and ministers in the Lebanese government,” he said.
“Like the rest of our ties with all of the Lebanese society's factions, we have close and strong relations with Hizbullah,” the Iranian official added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday blamed Iran for the deadly flare-up along the Lebanese border, which was the deadliest escalation on the disputed frontier since the 2006 war between Hizbullah and Israel.
The violence erupted Wednesday when Hizbullah fired anti-tank missiles at an Israeli military convoy, killing two soldiers and wounding seven.
The Jewish State responded with shelling. A Spanish peacekeeper with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was killed in the exchange.
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