Lebanon PM meets with Iran’s Pezeshkian at UN sidelines
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Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Thursday that Lebanon does not want to become an arena for regional conflicts or a venue for the exchange of messages, as he met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in New York.
Salam described Lebanon’s relationship with Iran as historic but said Beirut wants to develop it as a “sound state-to-state relationship.”
He also called on Tehran to nominate a new ambassador to Lebanon.
Focus on ‘Israeli’ withdrawal
Salam said Lebanon’s priorities include ‘Israel’s’ withdrawal from Lebanese territory, an end to its attacks, extending state authority across the country and ensuring that weapons are held exclusively by the state, in a nod to the goal of disarming Hezbollah.
The meeting comes amid tensions between Beirut and Tehran over Iran’s diplomatic role in Lebanon.
Iranian ambassador-designate Mohammad Reza Sheibani was declared persona non grata by Lebanon in March.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has said that normal relations with the Iranian mission can resume only after Tehran complies with Lebanon’s decision.
Salam has also been seeking international support for strengthening Lebanon’s armed forces and maintaining an international presence in southern Lebanon as the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission UNIFIL approaches its scheduled end in December.
