Lahoud stresses clinging to Shebaa farms
Lebanese President Emil Lahoud on Thursday met with the UN secretary general Kofi Annan upon his arrival in Beirut.
Present at the meeting was the Lebanese premier and foreign minister Salim al-Hoss.
President lahoud called on Annan to work for releasing the Lebanese detainees and prisoners in the Israeli jails as soon as possible.
Lahoud also conveyed to Annan Lebanon's protest against Lebanon's violation of the Israeli warplanes to the Lebanese airspace. A matter which constitutes a flagrant violation to UN resolution 425.
He reiterated that Shebaa farms are Lebanese territories, and that this fact is approved by the Lebanese and Syrian states.
The Lebanese President held Israel responsible for events taking place in Palestine. He added that the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories is very grave as a result of the aggressive practices against the Palestinian people.
In the afternoon, President Lahoud received the Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi and members of the accompanying delegation, currently visiting Lebanon. Kharazi handed over the Lebanese president a message from President Muhammad Khatami stressing Iran's backing to lebanon.
In a statement following the meeting, Kharazi praised the remarkable role played by Lebanon in achieving the victories realized in South Lebanon. Victories which are not attainable without the national unity and full comprehensive cooperation between Syria and Lebanon.
Kharazi regretted the large volume of the Western move towards releasing the three Israeli prisoners in Lebanon, adding at a time when hundreds of Palestinians are killed, we do not see such European moves towards them. And this shows the double standard policy on this issue.
The Iranian foreign minister said that the conditions for releasing the three Israeli soldiers captured by the Lebanese national resistance can be only set by the Lebanese national resistance.
The Iranian foreign minister said replying to a question on whether Iran agrees to release the 19 Lebanese detained in Israel for releasing the three Israeli soldiers, that this is to be decided by the Lebanese resistance.
He added that there are 4 Iranian diplomats kidnapped by Israel in 1982 and they are now in the Israeli jails.
Kharazi also met with the Lebanese premier and with the speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and talks in the two meetings dealt with developments in the region and he stressed backing for Lebanon in all fields and international circles to restore back its rights in liberating its lands especially Shebaa farms.