(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The U.S. has raised concerns about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's visit to Lebanon next week. U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters in Washington on Tuesday that Iran is “undermining” Lebanon's sovereignty through its association with groups like Hezbollah.
He said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has raised the issue with the Lebanese president. But Crowley said it's up to the Lebanese government if Ahmadinejad makes the trip.
On Monday, diplomatic officials in Tel Aviv said that Lebanon, not Israel, would be the party to “suffer” most from Ahmadinejad’s scheduled visit next week to south Lebanon.
“Lebanon is the primary victim, and if it wants to stop slipping into the jaws of the Iranian crocodile, it – and the moderate Arab world – should raise a strong voice and say this provocateur is not welcome,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levy said.
Also, March 14 alliance voiced concern last week about the visit, saying Ahmedinejad regards Lebanon as "an Iranian base on the Mediterranean."
Israel has also considered the Iranian president' upcoming visit, especially to the Bint Jbeil and Maroun el-Rass towns in south Lebanon close the the border with occupied Palestine, as a provocative step. The two towns witnessed some of the fiercest battles between the Islamic Resistance and Israeli occupation forces during the 2006 aggression on Lebanon.
source : http://www.abna.ir
