March 14 Christian Figure, Aoun, Lahoud to Visit Iran

Source: Al-Manar TV, 11-10-2008
A prominent March 14 Christian figure will visit Tehran before the end of this month, As-Safir newspaper reported on Saturday.
It said that former President Emile Lahoud would also visit the Iranian capital in the next few weeks.
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun will head to Tehran on an official visit Sunday. He told Al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday that Iran was the only powerful regional country. Aoun also said that he will visit Iran for one week after several invitations, and will meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki and many Iranian officials to explain the situation in Lebanon.
He added that Lebanon needed to forge a friendship with Iran and all main countries in the Middle East.
The General praised the role Iran carried out in supporting the bloc when it rejected the permanent Palestinians settlement in Lebanon and called for their right to return to their home land, in addition to the aid offered after the July War.
Change and Reform bloc MP Nabil Nicolas said that some parties were launching a campaign against Aoun prior to his visit to Iran.
During a dinner organized by the Free Patriotic Movement on Friday night in Kfarchima, Nicolas said that "Aoun does not take orders from any embassy." He added that he was open to different parties and called on the state to assert its authority in order to uphold citizens' rights, because he said citizens should not need to look to political parties to guarantee their minimum standards of living.