Iran 'fully supports' Lebanon unity: vice president
AFP
BEIRUT - Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Tajeddini said his government fully supports the "unity and independence" of Lebanon during a visit to Beirut on Saturday, the Lebanese president's office said.
"The Iranian official conveyed President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad's appreciation for President (Michel) Sleiman's efforts to strengthen the atmosphere of consensus in Lebanon and emphasised President Ahmadinejad's full support for the unity, sovereignty and independence of Lebanon and its territory," a statement from Sleiman's office said.
Lebanese President Michel Sleiman with Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Tajeddini
"I would like to reiterate the unchanging principles of Iranian foreign policy which... are reflected through our embrace of and support for all resistance against the enemies of Arab and Islamic nations, primarily the Zionist entity," a statement released by Hariri's office quoted Tajeddini as saying.
Hariri, son of murdered ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, announced the formation of a new government on November 9, more than four months after his US- and Saudi-backed alliance defeated a Hezbollah-led bloc backed by Syria and Iran in a general election.
Sleiman appointed five ministers in the 30-seat cabinet, which grants him the role of arbiter in the new government.
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