Gemayel Meets Roknabadi over Dinner, Asks Iran to Contribute to Peace in Lebanon, Region

Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel and a party delegation attended a dinner banquet overnight Saturday at the house of Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi, following an invitation from Tehran's envoy, a joint statement said.

According to a statement by the party and the embassy, the meeting was an opportunity for Gemayel to “reiterate his condolences over the victims of the suicide attack that targeted the Iranian embassy in Beirut and congratulate the state of Iran on the agreement reached over its nuclear program with the P5+1 world powers in Geneva.”

Gemayel hoped the deal will launch “a new approach that can boost Iran's ties with the international community and reflect positively on its relations with its neighbors,” urging all parties to “deal objectively with this major development.”

He also called on Iran to utilize the agreement to contribute to “security and peace in the Middle East region and Lebanon, given its historic role and special ties with a number of parties, especially in Lebanon.”

For his part, Roknabadi thanked Gemayel for his stances and lauded “the Phalange Party's steady steps towards openness.”

According to the statement, the talks also tackled the Syrian conflict, with both parties voicing support for “the choice of political and diplomatic solutions” and calling for holding the Geneva 2 peace conference as soon as possible.

In this regard, Gemayel underlined “the Phalange Party's stance which supports neutralizing Lebanon in the ongoing conflicts and which is keen on stopping the destruction of Syria and on the safety of all the components of the Syrian people.”

The Iranian ambassador stressed Tehran's “support for strengthening national unity in Lebanon and preserving the stability of the Lebanese state,” hoping a new cabinet will be formed soon “so that Lebanon can continue to play its pioneering role in the region and the world.”

Gemayel lauded this stance, calling on countries that have influence on the situations in Lebanon to “join efforts to create an atmosphere of consensus that can curb the current tensions and contribute to the rise of Lebanon and its institutions.”

At the end of the meeting, the two parties agreed on maintaining their contacts with the aim of “exploring any opportunity for cooperation and coordination,” according to the joint statement.

The meeting comes after two suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan on November 19, leaving 27 people dead and more than 150 others injured, with Iranian diplomats confirming that Roknabadi was preparing to leave the embassy only minutes before the attack.