Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria to help resolve crisis in Lebanon

Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria are to help Lebanon resolve the current crisis, Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad-Reza Sheibani said yesterday.

Sheibani made the remarks while speaking to IRNA on the sidelines of a meeting with a number of Iranian women, who are in charge of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Beirut.

"The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia made the decision on the sidelines of the Iraq Conference in Sharm el-Sheikh," he added.

The ambassador noted that efforts are currently being made to help Lebanese people get rid of the current deadlock. He said that the tripartite group has not yet determined when and how it will hold possible meetings.

He referred to the political status and ongoing crisis in Lebanon, arguing, "The Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia have so far tried to convince the Lebanese sides to observe restraint and work towards reaching consensus that could be mutually satisfactory, having somehow been successful in those respects."

News reports quoted Lebanese Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri as saying that Iran and Saudi Arabia have presented new plan with an aim of settling the crisis in Lebanon.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have declared that they have no ready plan in this respect, and will only support the decision of a number of Lebanese leaders to resolve the current dilemma.

The political and complicated crisis in Lebanon has been aggravated in the run-up to holding 12th presidential elections.

The pro government groups and the opposition dubbed "March 8 and 14" as election day and are trying to overcome one another in the political arena.

He predicted that the political climate in Lebanon will enter critical period in the next few months with opposition to government of prime minister Fouad Siniora gaining momentum.