Beirut visit to have ‘beneficial impact’ on Iran’s regional diplomacy

Hossein Jaberi Ansari, former Foreign Ministry Spokesman who was recently appointed as Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab-African Affairs, arrived in Beirut on Monday to hold back-to-back meetings with senior Lebanese officials including Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, and Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah.

During his one-hour meeting with PM Salam, the two sides discussed the political situation in Lebanon and problems caused by the lack of a president there. Regional developments and Iran-Arab relations were also discussed during the meeting.

Jaberi Ansari then held a 45-minute meeting with FM Bassil whom he described as the son-in-law of former Lebanese Army Commander and founder of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gen. Michel Aoun. During the meeting with Bassil, the two sides conferred on the political situation in Lebanon and the region, as well as the current crisis in Syria.

Jaberi Ansari’s third meeting lasting for one hour was held with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri where the two sides reviewed Lebanon’s situation, relations with Iran and rival regional powers, as well as possible solutions to the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

The Iranian diplomat met with Hezbollah leader next, in a friendly and lengthy meeting of three hours, where the latest developments in Lebanon as well as various regional cases were discussed in details. Jeberi Ansari described Nasrallah as the wise leader of Islamic Resistance Movement who was monumental in achieving the greatest victory for Muslims and Arabs against the Israeli regime by forcing it to withdraw unconditionally and unilaterally from the occupied territories in Lebanon.

Jaberi Ansari’s last meeting in Beirut was held at 9:30 PM with Munir Shafiq, Palestinain strategist and the general coordinator of the Arab-nationalist-Islamic Congress, where the two sides conferred on regional developments and ways to bring Palestine and the Middle East out of the current deadlock.

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