Abdollahian meets Bou Habib, offers power, fuel aid

Abdollahian meets Bou Habib, offers power, fuel aid

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who had arrived Wednesday in Beirut, met on Thursday with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.

Abdollahian expressed Iran's willingness to help Lebanon with the electricity file and offered the crisis-hit country a fuel donation, Bou Habib said after meeting Abdollahian.

The Iranian Foreign Minister also urged all parties to swiftly elect a president.

"Iran will support any Lebanese presidential agreement and is ready to help Lebanon in other economic files," Abdollahian said.

He added that he has discussed with Bou Habib the Iranian-Saudi thaw.

"We hope that the Iranian-Saudi agreement would reflect positively on Lebanon," Bou habib cheerfully said.

Media reports had said that Abdollahian might ask Tehran’s allies in Lebanon to consider ending their support for Suleiman Franjieh’s presidential nomination to protect the renewed relation with Riyadh.

Abdollahian will also meet with Lebanese MPs at the Iranian Embassy.

Lebanese Forces MPs and MP and presidential candidate Michel Mouawad were not invited to the meeting, media reports said, while Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel, MP Camille Chamoun and other Change MPs decided to boycott it.