Iran says trying to help Lebanese reach consensus_English

DAMASCUS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- A visiting Iranian senior official said here on Sunday that his country makes all efforts to help the Lebanese groups reach a consensus.

Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani made the remarks at a press conference while responding to a question on Iran's stance on an Arab League (AL) plan to elect Lebanese Army Chief Michel Suleiman as president, form a national unity government and approve a new election law in Lebanon.

A visiting Iranian senior official said here on Sunday that his country makes all efforts to help the Lebanese groups reach a consensus.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets Iran's former chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani in Damascus Jan. 6, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
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The Iranian former top nuclear negotiator, who is currently on a five-day visit here, also expressed hope that Arab League chief Amr Moussa would be able to convince feuding Lebanese politicians to reach consensus on all disputed issues.

Iran and Syria share identical visions on Lebanon over the necessity to achieve concordance among all sides and support any step that may contribute to reach consensus among the Lebanese, Larijani added.

Speaking at the end of meetings with senior Syrian officials, Larijani said his talks with President Bashar al-Assad and hisdeputy Farouk al-Shara and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem were "good and excellent."

During his stay in Damascus, Larijani also held "constructive talks" on Sunday with representatives of Lebanon's Amal and Hezbollah movements on Lebanese issues, according to sources in the Iranian embassy here.

The three sides discussed cooperation with Moussa within the framework of the AL plan to end the crisis in Lebanon, the sources said.

Lebanon is facing today the most critical situation since the1975 civil war which wrecked the country for 15 years.

Lebanese presidential seat has been vacant since former President Emile Lahoud ended his term on Nov. 24, last year, and the sharply divided Lebanese parliament has delayed the elections for eleven times without a consensus.