Lebanon summons Iranian envoy over Iran’s parliament speaker comments
BEIRUT (AA) – The Lebanese Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the charge d’affaires at the Iranian embassy in Beirut over comments made by the Iranian parliament speaker which the government deemed “blatant interference in Lebanese affairs.”
In an interview with the French newspaper Le Figaro on Thursday, Iran’s parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf said his country is willing to negotiate with France on a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel in Lebanon, including the implementation of UN resolution 1701.
According to the ministry, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib directed Secretary-General Hani Chmaitli to summon the Iranian charge d’affaires.
Chmaitli told the Iranian charge d’affaires that Lebanon is exerting diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli aggression against Lebanon by implementing Resolution 1701 in a way that protects Lebanon’s sovereignty and security.
The statement quoted the charge d’affaires as emphasizing “Iran’s understanding and commitment to Lebanon and its sovereignty in the light of (its current) difficult and sensitive circumstances.”
Earlier on Friday, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Ghalibaf’s remarks as an unwarranted intrusion into Lebanese affairs.
Mikati said that “the negotiation regarding the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 is a matter for the Lebanese state to handle.”
UN Resolution 1701, adopted unanimously by the Security Council on Aug. 11, 2006, calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and the establishment of a zone free of armed personnel and military equipment, except for those belonging to the Lebanese army and UN peacekeeping forces (UNIFIL).
Israel has mounted a huge air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since Sept. 23, killing more than 1,500 people and displacing more than 1 million.
The aerial campaign is an escalation of a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of the war on Gaza, in which Israel has killed at least 42,500 people, most of them women and children.
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