Tehran, October 10: A senior Iranian lawmaker says the upcoming visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon boosts the anti-Israeli front in the region.
Head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi described Lebanon as one of the most important and critical countries in the Middle East, saying that, “All Islamic countries are obliged to support and strengthen the Lebanese Islamic resistance movement in order to counter the vengeful and hostile policies of the Zionist regime (Israel).”
He reiterated that considering the situation in Lebanon, President Ahmadinejad’s visit to the country will have a positive impact on the growing support for the anti-Israeli resistance front, IRNA reported on Saturday.
The top Iranian lawmaker deemed the Islamic resistance in Lebanon as safeguarding the essence of Islam and the dignity of all Muslims, stressing that “Lebanon being the frontier of the resistance is enduring extreme pressure and threats from Israel.”
He also touched on measures taken to cancel the Iranian chief executive’s visit to the Arab country and said, “Western countries have always been afraid of the growing trend of the Lebanese Islamic resistance movement and the president’s visit is to their dismay.”
Boroujerdi noted that the media hype of Western countries against the Iranian president’s visit proves the status of the Islamic Republic in the region and the influence of resistance movements in establishing a new order in the Middle East equations.
“The Western propaganda has backfired as this visit has become ever more important in public opinion,” he went on to say.
The Iranian lawmaker also stressed on the importance of developing bilateral and multilateral relations with Lebanon, and said such cooperation would serve the interests of both nations.
President Ahmadinejad is scheduled to pay an official visit to Lebanon in October.
This comes as Israel has been pushing Lebanon to cancel the visit. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said earlier that Tel Aviv was “extremely worried” about the Iranian president’s visit.
Various Lebanese political figures, including Leader of the Lebanese Forces Political Party, Samir Geagea, Leader of Lebanon’s Free Patriotic Movement Michel Aoun and Leader of Lebanese Arab Struggle Movement Faysal Dawood have welcomed the Iranian chief executive’s visit.
—Agencies