Ayatollah Khamenei the Leader of the Islamic Revolution met Thursday evening with the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. At the meeting, Ayatollah Khamenei said that Lebanon enjoys a particularly important and sensitive position in the region, adding: "Certain foreign countries are trying to spread the problems of some of the regional countries to Lebanon, but cooperation and solidarity of Lebanese groups and tribes and their reliance on resistance as an important value can make these activities unsuccessful."
Ayatollah Khamenei said that Lebanon is an important country in the region and added: "The leaders and outstanding personalities of Lebanon have had a good performance and by supporting resistance and being steadfast against the efforts to foment sectarian and tribal discord, they have managed to solve many of the problems."
His Eminence referred to the Lebanese domestic negotiations as an appropriate policy and added: "Some people inside and outside Lebanon are developing plots in their minds, but you, the Prime Minister and the Parliamentary Speaker are managing everything well and it is necessary to preserve this harmony."
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stressed that Iran is opposed to any kind of foreign interference in Syria and added: "The only way to resolve the issue of Syria is to prevent weapons from being sent to irresponsible groups."
In this meeting, President Michel Suleiman expressed his gratitude to Iran for holding the 16th Summit of the Non-Alignment Movement in Tehran and stressed the need for further expansion of ties between Iran and Lebanon. He expressed hope that this summit and Iran's presidency of the Non-Aligned Movement will have positive effects in different areas, particularly the issue of Palestine.
Michel Suleiman referred to the conditions of Lebanon and the Lebanese national defense strategy, saying: "We believe that Lebanon still needs resistance and the Lebanese government is determined to prevent all kinds of foreign tension from spreading into Lebanon by preparing the ground for negotiations, communication and cooperation."
Michel Suleiman also referred to the issues of Syria and stated: "Lebanon is opposed to any kind of foreign interference in Syria and insists that the issues of Syria should be resolved through negotiation."