Shibani rules out election of Lebanese president on March 25

Source: Nowlebanon, 17-03-2008
Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Reza Shibani ruled out the election of a president of Lebanon at the next parliamentary session, scheduled for March 25, in view of the results - or lack thereof - of the contacts and meetings held previously. Shibani confirmed the existence of efforts on regional and international levels in order to reach a solution to the Lebanese crisis. Shibani specifically outlined efforts between Iran and Saudi Arabia on the one hand, and Syria and Iran on the other, also noting Iranian communication with Oman.
In an interview with Al-Manar channel, the ambassador articulated his country's conviction that no solution could be reached in Lebanon other than one based on co-existence. "The final decision must be entrusted exclusively to Lebanese political forces," Shibani said.
The four-party meetings held in Syria, devoted exclusively to the Lebanese dossier, did not mention who would be the presidential candidate in Lebanon, which has been in a political impasse since Emile Lahoud stepped down from presidency in November 2006. "This is directly linked to the right of the Lebanese people to choose their candidate," he added.
Ambassador Shibani noted Iran was confident that 'Israel' did not have the "courage or boldness" to launch any renewed wars in the region.
According to the available data, Shibani stated, the future was "bright for the peoples of the region," and the Arab resistance would eventually cause the United States to leave them alone. He expressed his belief that the American deployments of battleships in the region served to pressure the resistance standing in the way of their projects and to cover the 'Israeli' massacres against the innocent people of Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip