Lebanese Prime Minister Sa'ad Hariri told Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad that Beirut will not join a regional axis because Lebanon's
unique coexistence formula prevents the country from joining any
regional alliances, according to a report in Lebanon's
An Nahar on Friday.
Hariri reportedly told Ahmadinejad that "the values of the Lebanese
formula, in all its sectarian components, are the strongest weapon, not
to mention that confronting Israel requires high-level economic
capabilities,"
An Nahar reported.
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The Lebanese newspaper's sources said that Ahmadinejad had called for
"making Lebanon a part of an alliance among six peoples in the region,"
according to the report.
Referring to Lebanon's long history of military conflict with Israel,
Hariri told the Iranian president that "the culture of confronting
Israel has been deep-rooted in the minds of the Lebanese since a long
time and that they are the ones who have suffered the highest prices and
sacrifices in this confrontation in order to support the Arabs' main cause -
the Palestinian cause," according to the report.
The sources said that the talks between the two leaders focused on
"dialogue and stability in Lebanon," saying that their views were
identical,
An Nahar reported.
The meeting took place as Ahmadinejad made his first state visit to Lebanon this week, in which he
met with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Hizbullah
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and the Lebanese prime minister.