Lebanon tells Iran it will not serve as a battleground for regional rivalries
Lebanon's prime minister told Iran's president in New York that Beirut rejects being used as an arena for regional conflict, as the two met during the UN General Assembly.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian that Beirut does not wish to serve as an arena for regional conflicts or as a channel for exchanging messages between rival powers, during a meeting on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Salam said Lebanon had borne a heavy cost in security, stability and economic terms, a reference to the wars between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group over the past two years, which killed thousands of people in Lebanon and caused billions of dollars in destruction.
Israel currently occupies parts of southern Lebanon and has said it will not withdraw until Hezbollah is disarmed.
According to Lebanon's state news agency, Salam told Pezeshkian that Beirut looks forward to building what he described as a sound state-to-state relationship, grounded in mutual respect for sovereignty and independence and in non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
The Lebanese prime minister also asked Iran to name a new ambassador to Beirut.
The meeting was attended by delegations from both sides, including Lebanese Foreign Minister Yousef Rajji.