Suleiman Pays Tribute to Late Imam Khomeini ~ Iran Willing to Provide Lebanon Support to Face "Israel"
Source: Al-Manar TV, 25-11-2008
While the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman was holding bilateral talks with top Iranian leaders in Tehran, the so-called March 14 politicians were opening from Beirut their fire at any possibility of equipping the Lebanese army with Iranian weapons, "because the weapons were not sophisticated," according to National Liberal Party leader Dori Chamoun. The Lebanese army usually receives its arms from the US and they usually consist of old and small individual guns, vehicles, uniforms and boots.
Chamoun made his comment in an interview with ANB TV station. It was not clear how he could have predicted the types of weapons Lebanon would receive should it decide to buy Iranian arms and how he deemed them "not sophisticated." Equipping the Lebanese army with US weapons has always been conditional to "Israel's" consent, which has never been given. March 14 politicians argue that the Lebanese army should be the sole force to confront "Israel", something that even Hizbullah agrees to, but with what arms? The Lebanese army still uses the artillery the American army used in the Vietnam War!
Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah even suggested that the Lebanese government buys arms from the black market, as other countries are doing, to equip the army and render it a strong, efficient and deterrent force in face of the army-state of "Israel".
However, March 14 want the resistance to disarm and the Lebanese army to assume the mission of defending Lebanon without a clear defensive strategy and without sufficient arms, soldiers and training, thus exposing the country to more of "Israel's" greedy schemes.
The Islamic Republic has been building state-of-the-art and sophisticated weapons and has so far revealed a bouquet of its military products including the fastest torpedo in the world, accurate air defense systems, modern fighter jets, effective stealth vessels and so forth.
Iran has said it was" ready and willing to answer Lebanon's demands, support and strengthen its stability and position in confronting "Israel"."
The daily as-Safir on Tuesday quoted Iranian diplomatic sources assaying that Tehran stressed bilateral cooperation between Lebanon and Iran should develop away from any external interventions and pressures, according to the interests of both countries.
Nonetheless, Lebanese President Michel Suleiman's two-day visit to the Islamic Republic has boosted bilateral relations despite all attempts to fire at its potential results.
President Suleiman met Tuesday with Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei after having met with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a day earlier. Ayatollah Khamenei urged the Lebanese to be united in face of Zionist threats. His eminence said that unity amongst political and ethnic groups in Lebanon is the only way to make the country progress. "The Islamic Republic believes that the efforts of all Lebanese groups should be used to reinforce Lebanon's unity."
The Ayatollah also praised President Suleiman's efforts to reinforce national unity and preserving the Lebanese Army's national character and pledged Iran will always stand by Lebanon.
The Lebanese president also held comprehensive talks with the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili.
During the meeting, Jalili voiced satisfaction with the upward trend of Lebanon's national reconciliation. The Iranian official also described unity and alliance as the major cause of Lebanon's victory over the Zionist entity and domestic conspiracies.
For his part, the Lebanese leader praised Iran's unstinting support for Lebanon and called on Tehran to further maintain such support.
Suleiman also highlighted Iran's significant and constructive role in brokering the Doha talks that helped defuse Lebanon's political crisis, which had pushed the country to the brink of civil war. The President also urged a quicker implementation of previous agreements signed between the two countries.
