Mikati slams Iranian 'interference', orders summoning of envoy

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday condemned remarks attributed to Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf about Tehran's readiness to negotiate with France over the implementation of Resolution 1701.

"This stance represents a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to impose a rejected tutelage on Lebanon, knowing that we had informed Iran's foreign minister and parliament speaker during their visits to Lebanon of the need to understand the Lebanese situation," Mikati said in a statement.

"Lebanon is facing an unprecedented aggression and we are working with all of Lebanon's friends, including France, to press Israel to cease fire," the premier added.

"The issue of negotiating to implement U.N. resolution 1701 is being handled by the Lebanese state and everyone must support it in this direction, instead of seeking to impose new hegemonies that are rejected under all national and sovereign considerations," Mikati said.

He later asked caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib to summon the Iranian charge d'affaires to grill him over Ghalibaf's remarks.

The Iranian parliament, however, later denied the remarks attributed to Ghalibaf, stressing that Tehran "backs everything decided by the Lebanese people, government and resistance to achieve a permanent truce."

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea meanwhile said that Mikati's stance "gives us a glimpse of hope that the Lebanese state" has started to "assume its responsibilities."

"What Mikati said this morning expresses the viewpoint of every true Lebanese, and we hope PM Mikati would continue to say that the Lebanese government demands a ceasefire based on resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701, because this is the only way to halt the massacres that have been ongoing in Lebanon for around two months," Geagea added.