Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki here Wednesday evening praised former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri, saying he was a "great son of the Lebanese nation." Mottaki, heading a high-ranking delegation, arrived here Wednesday evening for an official visit upon the invitation of his Lebanese counterpart. Upon arrival at Beirut international airport, he told reporters that Hariri was a great political figure of Lebanon who met an untimely death in the hands of terrorists. Hariri, along with 21 others, was assassinated in a car bomb explosion in Beirut in February 2005. Hariri's great efforts for Lebanese society will not be forgotten by the Lebanese people, Mottaki said. He told IRNA that his current visit to Lebanon was aimed at exploring avenues for expansion of Tehran-Beirut political and economic relations with Lebanese officials. Support for the Lebanese government and its efforts to achieve national unity is one of the priorities of Iranian foreign policy, he said, and added that the Iranian nation and government respect the will of the Lebanese nation. As to Lebanon's domestic problems, the Iranian foreign minister was confident these can be resolved peacefully through negotiation. Tehran will support any outcome of talks of Lebanon's different ethnic and tribal groups, he added. He further praised the peaceful co-existence among the various groups and tribes in the country. Referring to the Zionist regime as a threat to both Lebanon and the entire Islamic world, he reiterated that Islamic states should be in a constant state of preparedness to resist conspiracies and acts of aggression of the occupying regime in Holy Qods. Bilateral ties and avenues for Iran to support the Lebanese people in dealing with threats posed by the Zionist regime top the agenda of Mottaki's current visit. The two sides will also review latest regional and international developments.
