Velayati in Beirut for Talks with Officials

Ali Akbar Velayati, the advisor of the Leader of the Islamic Ummah and Oppressed People Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei, arrived Monday in Beirut to hold talks with top Lebanese officials.

In a statement at Rafik Hariri International Airport, Velayati indicated that his visit to Lebanon accompanying the official delegation was “to participate in the closing of the International Secular Conference for Palestine held in Beirut; as there will be an opportunity to hold official meetings with political references as well as a number of figures with whom I share friendly relations.”

He added, “We will discuss the upright and close bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Lebanese Republic, in addition to the various current political developments.”

Furthermore, Imam Khamenei’s advisor confirmed that “the Palestinian Cause shall remain the primary central issue in the Muslim world…”

Velayati explained that among “the primary motives of our participation in the International Conference is to meet with partaking figures to discuss matters related to the Palestinian Cause as well as to support the Palestinian people in their struggle against the “Israeli” aggression and the liberation of the Occupied Palestinian territories.”

Concerning the regional situation, Velayati indicated that “Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen are suffering from extremist Takfiri terrorist groups linked to external forces… an issue which imposes on all of us, whether in the Islamic Republic of Iran or in the Arab and Islamic countries, to consult and exchange views in order to intensify efforts to fight against extremism and eradicate it from our societies and cultures.”

Hence, the Iranian advisor thanked the religious and political figures representing the Lebanese spiritual and political references who received him indicating “the profound fraternal ties” between the two countries.

Velayati went on saying that “enemies are targeting the depth of relations, unity and convergence among nations and peoples of the region which necessitates the association of our efforts and vision to face the plots against national, Arab and Islamic unity among the region’s components.”

In his statement, Ali Akbar Velayati stressed the tight relation with the Lebanese government and people.

Meanwhile, Velayati concluded his statement at the airport and told reporters, “Resolving the political problems in Lebanon concerns the Lebanese themselves”.

“We are confident that thanks to Lebanon’s deep-rooted democracy, the country will eventually find a suitable exit [from the existing crisis] and reach an appropriate solution to fill the presidential void” he went on saying.

Nonetheless, the advisor of the Leader of the Islamic Resistance expressed confidence in the politicians’ ability to find the appropriate solution to Lebanon’s presidential vacuum and lauded them on their unity to confront extremists.

“We are glad to see that the Lebanese have been able to agree on consolidating national unity and moving forward in confronting “Israel” and extremist forces,” Ali Akbar Velayati said following talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.

Furthermore, he said he was proud of the victories achieved by Hizbullah along with the Syrian army in confronting the armed Takfiri groups in Syria’s Qalamoun region.

Velayati, a veteran Iranian diplomat and politician, was received at the airport by Hizbullah MP Ali Mokdad, Iran’s Ambassador in Lebanon Mohammad Fathali and Khalil Hamdan, a member of the Amal Movement’s presidential bureau.

Accordingly, the Iranian official is set to meet with Prime Minister Tammam Salam during the one-day visit. He would be holding talks with Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun later in the day.

Source: al-Ahed News