Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday that the premier should "consolidate relations" with Hizbullah.The website of Khamenei's office said he was pleased that Hariri and Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah currently had good ties, adding "these relations must be more consolidated."
"As long as the occupying Zionist regime exists, Leb needs resistance," Khamenei said in reference to Israel.
"The only element of deterrence against the occupying Zionist regime is the element of resistance," he was quoted as saying.
Hariri was on the third and final day of an official visit to Iran.
He had been told on Sunday by Iran's Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi that Tehran was prepared to help the Lebanese army.
Khamenei echoed comments made by President Mahmoud
Short RoundAhmadinejad, in a meeting with Hariri, during which the Iranian leader called for the Beirut government and Hizbullah to work together against Israel.
"If the government and the resistance form part of the same front, this country will follow the path of greatness and development, and the Zionist regime will not be able to do it the least harm," he said.
Hariri later held a joint presser with first Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi.
The premier stressed that it was the duty of the Lebanese to preserve Leb's stability. "The assistance of friends is an added value," he said.
He also hailed Saudi-Syrian efforts to avert an explosive situation in Leb.
Hariri said national unity preserved the army-people-resistance equation which is adopted by the Lebanese government.
Turning to Iran's controversial nuclear program, the premier said Leb will not be part of any international group that aims to pressure Tehran. Leb supports Iran's right to have nuclear power for peaceful purposes, he told news hounds.
On the other hand, Hariri's visit resulted in the signing of nine memoranda of understanding between Leb and Iran in the social and educational sectors.
In a final statement issued as Hariri wrapped up his 3-day visit, the two countries stressed their determination to consolidate bilateral ties "between the two states as well as between their institutions."
"The two sides express their support for the achievement of justice and finding the truth in the liquidation of martyr Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and his
They stressed that the Special Tribunal for Leb should not be "politically exploited."
Leb and Iran, adds the statement, agreed to form a higher joint committee under the presidency of Iran's first vice-president and Leb's prime minister.
Also according to the statement, Iran voiced support for "national unity and stability in Leb," underlining the importance of "the equation of coexistence as a model for consensual democracy in the country."
Tehran also expressed its "full support to the Lebanese state and the Lebanese people and the national and Islamic resistance in Leb against the Zionist enemy," stressing the need that Israel withdraw its troops from Leb's occupied territories.
For its part, the Lebanese side voiced support for "the right of the Islamic Theocratic
Republicof Iran to the peaceful use of nuclear technology."
In the evening, Hariri left Tehran for Gay Paree, where he is scheduled to meet with France's President Nicolas Sarkozy and Prime Minister Francois Fillon.