Zarif Arrives in Beirut, Says Iranian Team to Probe Details of Bir Hassan Attack
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday announced that an Iranian judicial delegation would visit Beirut soon to probe the details and circumstances of the twin bombing that targeted the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan.
The announcement comes after the death at the military hospital of Majed al-Majed, the Saudi chief of the Qaida-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades and the alleged mastermind of the deadly attack.
“We congratulate the Lebanese government on the major achievement of arresting the terrorist Majed al-Majed and we laud its efforts in this regard,” Zarif told reporters at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport as he arrived in Lebanon for an official visit.
“An Iranian judicial delegation will visit Beirut to probe all the details of the bomb attack on the Iranian embassy,” he said.
“Establishing the best relations with the neighbors is among Iran's essential principles and we're seeking to have the best relations with Saudi Arabia because that would positively contribute to peace in the region,” Zarif added.
The top Iranian diplomat described Lebanon as “a country of resistance,” noting that it is “a role model for the people in the region.”
“Lebanon and Iran are facing many common challenges, such as terrorism and takfirism, and these problems are affecting all the peoples of the region, that's why joint efforts must be exerted to fight them,” said Zarif.
“We will discuss with the Lebanese officials means to develop and strengthen the good ties we have,” he added.
Zarif's visit to Beirut is part of a tour that will also take him to Damascus, Amman and Baghdad.
He is scheduled to meet with top Lebanese officials for talks on “the current situations in Lebanon and the region in light of the latest regional developments, especially in Syria, in addition to bilateral ties between Iran and Lebanon,” state-run National News Agency reported.
"We stress that the only solution to the Syrian crisis is a political solution and the best way to curb terrorism and takfirism is allowing Syrian people to freely express their opinions through ballot boxes," said Zarif.
He noted that his country is not seeking an invitation to a January 22 peace conference on Syria at all costs.
"If we receive an invitation without any preconditions, we will participate in the 'Geneva 2' peace conference, but we won't act in order to receive an invitation," said Zarif.
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon last week sent invitations to 30 countries to attend the conference, but did not include Iran, the main regional backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are to meet on Monday in a bid to decide Iran's role in ending the nearly three-year conflict.
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