Report: Aoun opposes Salam and LF's bid to cancel Larijani's visit
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has suggested that Lebanese officials boycott a visit to the country by Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in protest at the latest flurry of Iranian statements about the thorny issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament, al-Akhbar newspaper said.
The daily, which is close to Hezbollah, said Salam made the suggestion after he received a Saudi request.
The newspaper added that “Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea is exerting major pressures on Salam to convince President Joseph Aoun not to receive the Iranian official, something that was rejected by Aoun, who considered that such a move would violate all diplomatic norms.”
Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji of the LF is also “continuing his domestic and foreign contacts in an attempt to cancel the visit or force Iran to offer an apology over the statements that supported the resistance (Hezbollah),” al-Akhbar said.
Informed sources meanwhile told the daily that “Larijani has not requested to meet with Rajji and he will visit Lebanon and leave on the same day after meeting with the three presidents (Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and Salam) and Hezbollah’s leadership.”
“Any attempt to prevent Larijani from visiting Beirut will be an explosive step that might be met with a broad popular response against visits by other foreign envoys,” the sources warned.
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