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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Salam: Resistance is Legitimate but War, Peace Decisions Must Rest in State Hands |
| 2013-04-08 |
| [An Nahar] Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam on Sunday stressed that resistance against Israel is legitimate, but noted that "the decisions of war and peace must rest in the hands of the Lebanese state." In an interview with BBC, Salam revealed that Iranian Ambassador to Leb Ghazanfar Roknabadi relayed to him a message from Iran's leadership on Sunday, in which Tehran "wished him success in forming a new cabinet and stressed its keenness on the resistance." Asked whether Iran had linked facilitating his mission to keenness on Hizbullah, Salam said "everyone knows Iran's stance." "Resistance against Israel is legitimate, but the decisions of war and peace must rest in the hands of the Lebanese state and we must put an end to the use of arms in the domestic arena," the PM-designate said. Asked whether he was surprised by receiving an Iranian message although he is "the candidate of the March 14 forces," Salam said: "Today, I'm a prime minister-designate and I communicate with everyone. I have also received a letter of support from Russia, which was carried by the Russian ambassador." Salam denied being contacted by Syrian Ambassador to Leb Ali Abdul Karim Ali. He noted that "there is international and regional consensus on helping Leb during this period," revealing that "regional and international influences were behind the consensus" on naming him. |
| Posted by:Fred |