Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri on Saturday urged Tehran and Beirut to coordinate their stands on issues that have emerged in the aftermath of the September 11 terror attacks in the US, and to face “the enemies” who are trying to use the occasion to defame the Islamic faith.
"Now that the enemies of Muslims want to use the terror attacks on US centers as a chance to vilify Islam and tarnish its image, harmony between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Lebanon is necessary," he told the official Iranian news agency (IRNA) before a scheduled one-day visit to Tehran on Sunday.
During his visit, Hariri is expected to discuss with President Mohammad Khatami and other Iranian leaders the US preparations for a military strike on Afghanistan for harboring Osama bin Laden, the principle suspect in the terror attacks, AFP said, quoting Iran Radio.
In Beirut, Hariri's office confirmed the one-day trip, but provided no details on the agenda.
Iran, which has condemned the attacks and supports the Northern Alliance opposition to Afghan's ruling Taliban militia, has rejected any US-led attack, saying military action should be under the aegis of the United Nations.
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi last week visited Beirut, where he met with Hariri, President Emil Lahoud, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, chief of the Shiite fundamentalist resistance group Hizbollah.
Iran, along with Syria, is a backer of Hizbollah, which spearheaded a guerrilla war that drove Israeli occupation forces out of southern Lebanon in May 2000.
Hariri told IRNA that the "Zionist regime and some of its allies are contemplating attacks on some Arab countries in the name of an anti-terror campaign, but have failed to achieve their goal so far."
He appealed to Islamic and Arab countries to stand by his country at "this sensitive juncture.”
Lebanon, the premier said, had been a victim of Israeli state terrorism for years, and had paid a heavy cost as a result of the “daily crimes of the Zionist Israeli regime.”
Retreating Israeli forces left behind minefields, ruined infrastructure, and countless orphans.
Israeli warplanes continue to violate Lebanese airspace, despite protests from Beirut and rebukes from the UN.
Israeli troops occupy the Shabaa Farms area, former Syrian land which is claimed by Lebanon – Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
