Lebanese Prime Minister Tammam Salam says Iran can help Lebanese groups reach a compromise on the election of a president.
In a meeting with a visiting Iranian delegation headed by Chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi on Friday, Salam described the delegation's trip as a sign of "brotherly" relations between the two countries, praising "friendly" Iran for backing Lebanon's stability, IRNA reported.
Underlining the need to choose a new president as Lebanon's "first priority", he said," If the new president is not elected soon, it may aggravate the turbulent situation in Lebanon."
Since May 2014, when former Lebanese president Michel Suleiman left office at the end of his tenure, the Lebanese Parliament has failed to pick a new president, resulting in the continuation of a presidential power vacuum that has negatively affected the Arab country.
"Both internal factions and important Middle East countries should help efforts for choosing the new president," he said.
On bilateral relations, Salam said in view of Iran's vast economic potential, the nuclear deal reached between Iran and major powers last July provides new opportunities to develop economic ties.
Boroujerdi congratulated Lebanon on its security achievements and briefed Salam on his recent trip to Syria in which he met senior Syrian officials.
New Stage
At a press conference after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, Boroujerdi said Tehran-Beirut political and economic ties will enter a new stage, focusing on the fight against terrorism as the main priority.
Iran gives special priority to Lebanon in its foreign economic cooperation, he said.
He described the anti-terror campaign launched by the US-led coalition as a "show", adding that reluctance on the part of the US to combat terrorism in an effective manner encouraged Russia to help Syria in the battle against extremism.
Asked when the Syrian crisis will be over, he said, "We think defeating terrorism requires collective determination."
If the US and its regional allies stop providing terrorists with financial and military assistance, defeating terrorists would not take a long time; however, as the support continues, there is a long way ahead to root out terrorism, he noted.
