Report: Lebanon Refrains from Participating in Tehran Conference in Support of Syria

Lebanon decided not to join a meeting set to discuss support for the Syrian regime, which is expected to be held in the upcoming few days in Tehran, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Monday.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry invited Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria to join the conference on March 18. However, Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, who received the invitation from his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi, decided not to participate after discussions with President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati.

Lebanon’s position came in light of its decision to disassociate itself from the crisis in Syria and the developments in the region.

Despite the report that Lebanon won’t participate in the conference, ministerial sources told the daily Beirut’s participation will be at the level of deputy foreign minister.

According to the sources, the conference will be like the latest conference held in Tunis for “Friends of Syria,” but the difference is that Tehran’s conference is to support the Syrian regime against the opposition.

The sources said that Lebanon aims at maintaining the country’s stability thus it avoids any stance on the crisis in Syria so that it wouldn’t have any repercussions on the local situation.