Velayati:

Hariri asked to mediate between Iran, Saudi Arabia

TEHRAN (defapress) – Leader’s senior adviser Velayati dismissed Lebanese PM Saad Hariri’s anti-Iran remarks, saying Hariri asked to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia during his meeting with Velayati in Tehran.

News ID: 66995

Date: 14 November 2017 - 14:25

Ali Akbar Velayati shed more light on his meeting with then Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on November 3, which was soon followed by a visit to Saudi Arabia during which Hariri announced his sudden resignation along with accusations leveled at Iran and Hezbollah.

"Hariri said he had told me at the meeting not to meddle with Lebanon’s domestic affairs, but this topic was never raised between us,” Velayati said. "Our talks were by no means aggressive nor did they contain any of these issues. These are just the claims of Saudis and others who do not want Lebanon to be in peace and have a strategic friendship with Iran."

Velayati noted the presence of Iranian ambassador to Lebanon at the meeting, saying "we did not level any threats. The focus of my meeting with Hariri was bilateral and regional relations.”

Velayati stated that Hariri had asked to mediate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, adding "I told him that we have no problem with negotiations, but I asked him to tell Saudis that they have been destroying Yemen for three years and do not allow the delivery of food and medicine to the war-affected people.”

He went on to add, "I asked Mr. Hariri to tell Saudis to stop committing crimes against humanity in Yemen, because this has nothing to do with politics. They have to hold dialogs with the Yemenis, because this issue can only be settled through a political solution not blind airstrikes.”

"I also told Mr. Hariri that we welcome the unity among various political parties in Lebanon, and the country’s security owes a lot to Islamic resistance and the well-informed Lebanese people,” Velayati added.

Velayati further stressed the friendly and strategic ties between Iran and Lebanon, adding "Mr. Hariri’s resignation is a domestic matter. We hope that Mr. Hariri will return to Lebanon after the events of these past two weeks, and then it is up to the Lebanese people to decide whether he should remain in office or not.”