Jalili Arrives in Beirut, Calls for Intense Joint Efforts to Preserve Regional Stability

Top Iranian official Saeed Jalili called on Monday for intense consultations between Tehran and Beirut to preserve stability and security in the region.

“We should work together through the intense consultations and exchange of viewpoints in the service of the Islamic nation and the interest of the countries and peoples in the region,” Jalili, who is the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said at Beirut airport.

The coordination should also lead to “the consolidation of security, calm and stability in the region,” he said ahead of his talks with top Lebanese officials.

Jalili hailed the “strategic ties” between Iran and Lebanon and said Lebanon is now known at the regional and international level as the “symbol of resistance.”

“We have the utmost respect for Lebanon because first it is the symbol of resistance and second it is an essential bond for security and stability at the regional level,” he said.

Jalili first met with President Michel Suleiman at his summer residence in Beiteddine and then held talks with Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain el-Tineh.

“Among the blessings of this resistance is the Islamic awakening we witnessed in the countries of the region,” Jalili said after talks with Berri, referring to the Arab Spring uprisings that have swept across the Arab world.

“This awakening is a very good opportunity for the resistance,” Jalili added.

The top Iranian official noted that the U.S. is negatively affected by democracy in the Arab world “because practical experience has shown that in every region governed by democracy and the peoples’ will, these peoples would eventually rise up for their dignity and start working against the American and Israeli will.”

When told by reporters that “some media outlets in Lebanon expect the next round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group to be held in Beirut,” Jalili said “this issue was not discussed, but we don’t reject the idea and we believe that it’s a good suggestion and we would be proud to hold this round of negotiations in the land of the resistance.”

Jalili also visited the tomb of slain Hizbullah military commander Imad Mughniyeh in Ghobeiri and laid a wreath of flowers.

Speaking after the visit, the Iranian official described the abduction of 48 Iranian pilgrims in Damascus as “an atrocious act which no sane person in the world can support,” voicing regret that “things have deteriorated to an extent that even innocent civilians are not allowed to visit the holy sites.”

Jalili is expected to meet with Premier Najib Miqati and Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour later in the day. Reports have said that the Iranian official could also hold talks with Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.