Tweet
ARMENIAN PRESIDENT HAILS SULAYMAN, SAYS SECURITY IN LEBANON LINKED TO MIDDLE EAST
NaharNet
Nov 26 2012
Lebanon
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan praised on Saturday [24 November]
the efforts exerted by his counterpart Michel Sulayman locally and in
the Middle East to boost peace and stability, stressing that Lebanon's
security is linked to the situation in the region.
"Lebanon will advance," Sargsyan told reporters in a joint press
conference with Sulayman at the Baabda Palace.
The Armenian president said that talks with Sulayman were "fruitful,"
pointing out that the two officials discuss improving the ties between
the two countries.
"I discussed with Sulayman the importance of cooperation on
international levels," he told reporters.
Sargsyan arrived in Beirut on Monday on a three-day official visit
to meet senior Lebanese officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri and
Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
Sulayman and the first lady, Wafaa, welcomed Sargsyan accompanied by
his wife, Rita, at the Baabda Palace.
Concerning the situation in Damascus, Sargsyan expressed concern
regarding the Syrian people, noting that that his country rejects
"bloodshed and violence".
"The crisis can be only solved through dialogue," he added, hailing
the mission of UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to promote stability in Syria.
For his part, Sulayman said that talks focused on the developments in
the Arab world, stressing the importance of seeking a swift solution
to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Asked about the March 14 alliance's decision to boycott the national
dialogue session, which is set to be held on Thursday at the Baabda
Palace, Sulayman said that "any decision to boycott the session is
a democratic right."
However, he said that "democracy indicates that we should all sit at
one table and listen to what others' have to say."
Sulayman and Sargsyan inked a number of agreements at the end of
their meeting.
Sargsyan will attend on Tuesday a lunch banquet in Ain el-Tineh,
held in his honour by Berri, in the presence of lawmakers from both
the March 14 and March 8 coalitions.
Berri had cancelled a parliamentary session that was scheduled to be
held on Tuesday during which Sargsyan was planned to address MPs.
The speaker instead invited lawmakers to attend the lunch banquet in
honour of Sargysyan.
Berri explained that the invitation is "personal."
Sharp differences surfaced recently between the March 14 coalition and
Berri after the opposition accused the speaker of luring it to attend
parliamentary sessions despite vows by the coalition to boycott all
legislative activity.
The alliance rejected attending the session and another one planned
to show solidarity with the Palestinian people against the Israeli
aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The opposition decided to boycott parliamentary activities after the
assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief
Brig-Gen Wisam al-Hasan in October.
The alliance accuses the Syrian regime of being behind the murder
and blames Miqati's cabinet for covering the crime.
NaharNet
Nov 26 2012
Lebanon
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan praised on Saturday [24 November]
the efforts exerted by his counterpart Michel Sulayman locally and in
the Middle East to boost peace and stability, stressing that Lebanon's
security is linked to the situation in the region.
"Lebanon will advance," Sargsyan told reporters in a joint press
conference with Sulayman at the Baabda Palace.
The Armenian president said that talks with Sulayman were "fruitful,"
pointing out that the two officials discuss improving the ties between
the two countries.
"I discussed with Sulayman the importance of cooperation on
international levels," he told reporters.
Sargsyan arrived in Beirut on Monday on a three-day official visit
to meet senior Lebanese officials, including Speaker Nabih Berri and
Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
Sulayman and the first lady, Wafaa, welcomed Sargsyan accompanied by
his wife, Rita, at the Baabda Palace.
Concerning the situation in Damascus, Sargsyan expressed concern
regarding the Syrian people, noting that that his country rejects
"bloodshed and violence".
"The crisis can be only solved through dialogue," he added, hailing
the mission of UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi to promote stability in Syria.
For his part, Sulayman said that talks focused on the developments in
the Arab world, stressing the importance of seeking a swift solution
to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Asked about the March 14 alliance's decision to boycott the national
dialogue session, which is set to be held on Thursday at the Baabda
Palace, Sulayman said that "any decision to boycott the session is
a democratic right."
However, he said that "democracy indicates that we should all sit at
one table and listen to what others' have to say."
Sulayman and Sargsyan inked a number of agreements at the end of
their meeting.
Sargsyan will attend on Tuesday a lunch banquet in Ain el-Tineh,
held in his honour by Berri, in the presence of lawmakers from both
the March 14 and March 8 coalitions.
Berri had cancelled a parliamentary session that was scheduled to be
held on Tuesday during which Sargsyan was planned to address MPs.
The speaker instead invited lawmakers to attend the lunch banquet in
honour of Sargysyan.
Berri explained that the invitation is "personal."
Sharp differences surfaced recently between the March 14 coalition and
Berri after the opposition accused the speaker of luring it to attend
parliamentary sessions despite vows by the coalition to boycott all
legislative activity.
The alliance rejected attending the session and another one planned
to show solidarity with the Palestinian people against the Israeli
aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The opposition decided to boycott parliamentary activities after the
assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief
Brig-Gen Wisam al-Hasan in October.
The alliance accuses the Syrian regime of being behind the murder
and blames Miqati's cabinet for covering the crime.