Naharnet

Report: France Raises Eyebrows after Zarif States Iran Against Interference in Lebanon's Elections

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif has indirectly shrugged off claims of an Iranian intervention in Lebanon's controversial presidential file and said that Iran is "against foreign interference," the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily reported on Saturday.

French President Francois Hollande told Zarif during his trip to France that the situation in Lebanon is dangerous and fragile, added the daily.

Hollande said that it is a miracle that Lebanon remains steadfast without a president, adding that the Mediterranean country is passing through an exceptional fragile stage although some (in a reference to Hizbullah) believes that it can continue without a head of state, a source that followed up on the meeting of the two men at the Elysee Palace told the newspaper.

Hollande had stated that he does not share the opinion of those who believe that it is possible for Lebanon to continue without a president, and stressed the need to stop the obstruction of the state's institutions, according to the source.

To that, Zarif responded with “Iran has no problem with that. The Christian parties in Lebanon should unite to choose a president, and if this happens, Iran will not oppose it,” added the source on condition of anonymity.

Zarif added with words that astonished the French side, he said that there should not be any foreign interference, and that foreign intervention is what ruined the agreement on the election of Marada chief Suleiman Franjieh and led to an unfamiliar alliance between head of the Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and the head of the Change and Reform bloc MP Michel Aoun, said the source.

Iran and its ally Hizbullah have been accused of intentionally delaying the election of a new head of state.

Furthermore, the source said that French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault will discuss in Beirut on 11 and July 12 the possibility of holding a meeting of the Support Group for Lebanon in New York, with the potential release of a statement distancing Lebanon from regional conflicts and showing an international consensus on the importance of protecting the country from the conflicts that surround it.

Source: Naharnet


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