After Geneva Agreement, Time to Resolve Regional Issues
January 22nd, 2014 - by Seyyed Ali Mousavi Khalkhali
Lebanon, one of Syria’s neighboring countries, is considered as an important country in the region. This country, with a 15-year experience of bloody civil war, is very much involved in the Middle East’s equations, including in the Syrian crisis. One example of the impacts of the Syrian crisis on this country was the explosion that took place in front of the Iranian embassy in Beirut. Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian Foreign Minister, recently paid a two-day visit to Lebanon to discuss this incident and also the issue of Syria. Iranian Diplomacy recently spoke with Fadi Haj Ali, Lebanon’s ambassador to Iran, to discuss these issues among others.
Let us start with Mr. Zarif’s trip to Lebanon. What are the positive points of this visit and what impacts will it have on Lebanon’s political scene?
Mr. Zarif’s visit has had very deep and serious messages which make it exceptional. The close relations which exist between the two governments and between the people of Iran and Lebanon makes it unsurprising that Mr. Zarif’s visit starts from Beirut, particularly when Lebanon itself is involved in the existing challenges of the region, thus, Lebanon has played a significant role in the critical role of Iran and the Arab peace efforts and also the changes which have been made in the Arab world especially the developments in Syria which have greatly shaken the situation of the neighboring countries. We see that even Turkey’s positions, as one of Syria’s neighboring countries, have been changed. Recently, Mr. Abdullah Gul, the president of Turkey, has stated that we should review our positions with regard to Syria. Therefore, I believe that Lebanon is naturally involved in these matters.
Do you believe that this visit has impacted the general political view in Lebanon and the region?
It has certainly made great impacts. Mr. Zarif’s visit not only to Lebanon but to any Arab state could directly impact diplomatic, international and Islamic activities. Right now, everyone would welcome Mr. Zarif to his country.
There have been reports about the impacts of this visit on the establishment of the new government in Lebanon and the possibility of some type of pressure on Hezbollah and the impacting movements in Lebanon.
The issue of the establishment of the government in Lebanon is an internal issue. Despite the fact that it is said that there are countries which affect the process of the establishment of the Lebanese government and play a role in it, in the end I believe that this is a completely internal matter. Nevertheless, we are happy that Mr. Zarif’s visit of Beirut was simultaneous with the agreement among the domestic political movements to establish a government and recently there was also news about the agreement made to establish the government within the next two to three days.
But how could Mr. Zarif’s visit impact the establishment of the government?
Iran has always stated that it will not interfere in the internal affairs of Lebanon and the unity and solidarity and territorial integrity of Lebanon has always been supported and reiterated by Iran. Therefore, Mr. Zarif has reiterated the same position of principle and welcomed recent efforts to establish the new government and expressed his congratulations.
Many analysts believe that Lebanon, like Iraq and Syria, has been turned into a country for the political confrontations of the regional powers especially Saudi Arabia and Iran. What is your opinion about this assessment?
When the Lebanese Foreign Minister or Parliament Speaker came to Tehran, they asked the Iranian officials to meet with the Saudis and stated that this meeting could be very helpful for us, Iran and the Islamic nations.
The ambassador of one of the P5+1 countries once told me in a meeting that we must now confess that Iran is a nuclear country and this is, in fact, Iran’s right based on the Geneva Agreement. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is considered as a powerful country which has a special status in the world of Islam. The closeness in relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is to the benefit of Iraq, Syria, Jordan and all the Arab and Islamic states.
Recently, there was an explosion in front of the embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Beirut and there were different reports about the reasons behind this incident. In your opinion, what factors were really responsible for this incident, especially following the death of Majed al-Majed and the statements made by the Saudis and certain media in this regard?
This was a catastrophe for Iran but a bigger one for Lebanon. Lebanon witnessed the pouring of the blood of innocent Iranians on its soil and this incident added to our pain. Besides Martyr Sheikh Ebrahim Ansari, Iran’s cultural attaché in Lebanon, some Lebanese citizens were also martyred, thus, this was a common catastrophe. Mr. Zarif has also appreciated our efforts in pursuing this case. This means that the Iranians are satisfied with the process of pursuing the case by the Lebanese because, due to the importance of relations between the two countries, the security institutions of Lebanon were mobilized and succeeded in arresting the designer of this attack in less than three days. Certainly this incident was planned by the Takfiri groups and one of its members, Majed al-Majed. Based on the reports of the security officials and the army and the coroner’s office of Lebanon, al-Majed died of natural causes and a failure of organ activities due to his kidney problems.
Do you believe that this case would be closed after his death?
No. I believe that this case will be pursued further. Investigations still continue and nothing has been sent to the military court. Not only is this case not closed, it is still very much open and has different dimensions which must be investigated by the judicial institutions. Furthermore, a Palestinian individual has been arrested and is accused of being involved in the painful explosion in front of Iran’s embassy.
None of the security cases in Lebanon have reached a conclusion, such as the case of General Wissam al-Hassan who was assassinated last year. Could the same fate be considered for this case as well?
Fortunately, as Mr. Zarif has also mentioned, we have significant clues about this case. These clues can help us reach a conclusion. Therefore, I hope that we can find the facts about this case and create a judiciary case in this regard and arrest all the culprits who were involved in this matter.
Do you think that this terrorist act is the beginning of further terrorist activities in Lebanon in the future?
I hope not. The political leaders in Lebanon have come to this belief that arms and violence will not succeed. We are a small country with numerous problems. We have security problems in Tripoli.
The Lebanese army has certainly made efforts to control the affairs in this city and right now there seems to be no insecurity in Tripoli.
We see that Lebanon is now divided into two parts; one group supports the government of Syria and Bashar Assad and the other group supports his opposition. Even Hezbollah fights in Syria and that has led to criticisms. Some criticize the March 14th movement which has involved itself in the Syrian crisis and supports Bashar’s opposition forces and equips them with arms. Do you think that this issue will affect the future of Lebanon, particularly due to the fact that Lebanon has a history of civil war?
We have a 15-year history of destructive civil war. But I believe that there is a political agreement between all movements in Lebanon who have become exhausted by the heavy shadow of this war. Yes, there are two different views in Lebanon with regard to Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Russia and the Arab Spring and strategic issues. But there is a ceiling and limitations for all of these viewpoints and that is the unity, independence and territorial integrity of Lebanon. The government of Lebanon has explicitly stated that we are neutral with regard to the developments in Syria and we hope that calm will return to this country so that not only Lebanon but also the entire region will benefit from this calm.
Many believe that Hezbollah’s interference in the affairs of Syria causes terrorism to be drawn into Lebanon. Certainly, terrorism cannot be included in any political equation and Hezbollah is a completely legal and legitimate political organization. But there is this analysis that the terrorist movements which oppose Assad may intend to retaliate inside Lebanon with the excuse of Hezbollah’s presence in this country. What is your opinion about this matter?
During the past two months, we have witnessed three terrorist incidents; one was the terrorist attack in front of Iran’s embassy in Beirut; the second was the assassination of Mohammad Shatah, the former Lebanese minister and the third was the terrorist attack in the suburbs of Beirut. Three consecutive terrorist attacks during which innocent people were killed. Therefore, we suffer from terrorism. When Hezbollah or others are talked about in the issue of Syria, some state that Hezbollah has involved itself in this matter because it prefers the war against terrorism outside of Lebanon over this war inside the country, thus, this measure taken by Hezbollah has distanced Lebanon from direct confrontation against terrorism inside Lebanon.
Does it mean that you believe Hezbollah’s interference in Syria is legitimate?
No this is not what I believe but what some of the analysts say. There is another different view. When I was in Moscow, I was asked why the al-Mustaghbal movement interferes in Syria and sends arms for the opposition. I want to say that this is not the issue. What is official is the official positions of the government of Lebanon which has stated that it remains neutral with regard to the developments in Syria.
There have also been talks about the Geneva Agreement. Reports were published in the past, including by Lebanese media, claiming that the US has always complained about Mr. Mighati’s government in bypassing the sanctions to help Iran. How serious are these claims?
Why should we pursue a harsh position against Iran? We seek to develop our economic and trade relations with Iran. We are a small country which, as you know, is faced with a difficult economic situation. On the other hand, we cannot move against the demands of the international community. My personal experience negates your statement. Nevertheless, right now we hope that, following the Geneva Agreement, we will be able to expand our economic relations with Iran. We seek the expansion of relations through investors and businessmen.
But the Lebanese banks are free banks upon which there is no government supervision. Is it possible that the US’ complaints are about them?
The banking system is related to the governments and is completely in relation with the regional situation. That is why there are certain regulations for these banks.
The US sanctions were so severe that Lebanon’s shaky economy could not bypass them. We are faced with numerous regional problems; there is a Zionist enemy in the southern part of our country; the Syrian crisis, on the other side, has exerted pressures on us and we are also faced with our internal crisis as well, hence, the problems are many.
There are criticisms against the lack of attempts by the Foreign Ministry of Lebanon to prevent Hezbollah being named on the terrorist list. How could you respond to these criticisms?
Before anything I must say that the West, in a hasty and targeted move, has put a group of the military branch of Hezbollah on its terrorist list. This list is reviewed every six months. The Foreign Ministry of Lebanon and the Minister himself, Dr. Adnan Mansour, made great efforts to prevent the making of such a decision, but when the 25 European countries had made this decision before, no diplomacy would have been successful in this regard.
There have been reports about the efforts made by the Americans and Europeans to establish contacts with Hezbollah. Would you confirm these reports? Could such cooperation, in your opinion, help to remove Hezbollah from the terrorist list?
Hezbollah is one of the most important groups and political movements in Lebanon and the firm column of the victorious resistance of the people of Lebanon. Its cultural and economic activities have helped the Lebanese people a great deal. Hezbollah has several elected representatives in the parliament and participates in the government. But I do not have accurate information with regard to your question.