Senior advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ali Akbar Velayati was welcomed by Iran's Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad Fathali and a number of political and religious officials of Lebanon upon arrival at Rafik Hariri International Airport on Monday morning. Velayati is scheduled to hold talks with top Lebanese officials and attend the closing ceremony of an international conference on Palestine which he is invited to by the directors of the conference.
After being welcomed and sitting in a press conference at Beirut International Airport he went to Ain al-Tineh the residence of Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon, and accompanied by Iran’s ambassador to Beirut, had a one-hour talk with Berri.
Addressing the reporters after his meeting with Nabih Berri, Velayati, who is also the President of the Center for Strategic Research of Iran’s Expediency Council, pointed to Yemeni crisis and called for talks in an impartial country under the supervision of the UN, rejecting the idea of Saudis hosting the peace talks as they are one side of the problem.
Referring to talks held in Riyadh, the Iranian official conditioned the talks to immediate halt to the brutal aggression of Saudis against innocent Yemeni civilians.
Commenting on his meeting with Nabih Berri, the President of the Center for Strategic Research of Iran’s Expediency Council called him an old comrade and friend and highlighted the close ties between Iran and Lebanon.
Expressing his satisfaction over Iran-Lebanon relationship, Velayati reiterated that all Tehran-Beirut talks were to extend the bilateral ties and examine regional issues.
Touching upon the victories achieved by Hizbullah along with the Syrian army in confronting the armed takfiri groups in Syria's Qalamoun region, Velayati said it contributes to strengthening the axis of resistance not only in Lebanon and Syria, but in the whole region and worldwide.
The Iranian official's trip to Beirut comes two days after Hizbullah chief Seyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised address that Takfiri groups have been pushed out of large areas of Syria's Qalamoun region. Qalamoun is a mountain range along the Syrian border where Syrian troops backed by Hizbullah are fighting against the militants.
In his one-day visit to Beirut, Velayati is also planned to meet Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam.
He will be holding talks with Free Patriotic Movement Leader Michel Aoun at 7 pm local time, and is also expected to meet with Hezbollah chief, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah.
MNA\Hamed Nematollahi