The four Iranians kidnapped in Lebanon at the height of the civil war are alive and being held in Israel, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said.

“Regarding the four abducted Iranian diplomats, there are documents (which prove) they are alive and in the hands of the Zionist regime,” Ahmadinejad was quoted by Iran’s Fars News Agency as telling U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon during a meeting in New York on Saturday.

The French Foreign Ministry stressed on Monday the importance of the presence of the Christian communities in the East, refuting some Lebanese media reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy supported the immigration of Christians in the East to Europe in light of the developments in the region.

It said in a statement: “France is committed to the Christian presence in Lebanon, Syria, and the Middle East.”

Speaker Nabih Berri has said that authorities would take the appropriate action when the time to pay Lebanon’s share of funds to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon comes.

Berri’s visitors told al-Joumhouria daily published Monday that the deadline for Lebanon’s payment of its share is not at the end of September as some expected.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s second-day visit to the South on Sunday had political aspects whereby parties in the region made enthusiastic receptions for him and praised his stances.

Al-Rahi toured several villages and towns, arriving in Msayleh, where he met with Speaker Nabih Berri at his residence at the end of his three-day visit on Monday.

The European countries are competing among each other to press their candidates to succeed United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Michael Williams as his tenure comes to an end on Sept. 30, the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat reported on Monday.

European diplomatic sources told the daily that the Lebanese government supports ex- Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos to succeed Williams, whereby President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati voiced support for Moratinos’ candidacy during separate talks with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki moon.

Finance Minister Mohammed al-Safadi sent a message to senior officials during his visit to Washington that the current Lebanese cabinet isn’t controlled by Hizbullah and “will never be Hizbullah’s government,” As Safir newspaper reported on Monday.

Safadi held meetings on Sunday with U.S. Assistant Secretary for International Finance Charles Collyns, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, World Bank head Robert Zoellick and Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister Ibrahim al-Assaf.

U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has expressed concern over Lebanese accusations about Israel’s encroachment on Lebanese waters, saying that any unilateral action would harm all countries in the region, a U.N. source said.

The source told An Nahar daily published Monday that Ban told President Michel Suleiman during his visit to New York last week that the U.N. can play a role in the delineation of Lebanon’s maritime borders under a Security Council resolution.

The State Department does not intend to cancel Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi’s entry visa to the U.S. over his controversial statements on Hizbullah’s weapons and Syria, As Safir daily reported Monday.

The report came after Ad-Diyar newspaper said Sunday that the Department might cancel the visa to snub al-Rahi for linking the fate of Hizbullah’s arms to the liberation of the remaining occupied Lebanese territories and for saying that Syrian President Bashar Assad should be given the chance to introduce reform.

Saudi Arabia remains committed to Lebanon’s “security, unity, Arab identity and stability,” Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud stressed Sunday.

“Our tours and visits to some Arab capitals last year were aimed at bridging differences … and the kingdom’s efforts were focused on preserving civil peace in Lebanon, which we still support its security, unity, Arab identity and stability,” the king said in a statement addressed to the Saudi Shoura Council, which also tackled other domestic and Arab affairs.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel on Sunday said “Hizbullah’s arms won’t be a problem anymore if we lay out a (national) defense strategy.”

In an interview with Radio Orient, Charbel added that Lebanon could benefit from these weapons within the framework of such a strategy.