| 31 Jul 2010 |
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Qatari emir stresses commitment to stable Lebanon
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31 July 2010
BEIRUT: Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani said on Friday that he wanted the Lebanese state to preserve its unity, freedom, and sovereignty in the face of pressures and adverse circumstances.
Sheikh Hamad made his comments during a dinner hosted by President Michel Sleiman in his honor at Baabda Palace.
The emir arrived in Beirut on Friday evening to begin a three-day official visit to Lebanon.
Sheikh Hamad, his wife Sheikha Mozah, and the accompanying delegation were received at Rafik Hariri International Airport by Sleiman and his wife Wafaa, Speaker Nabih Berri, Premier Saad Hariri and a number of MPs, ministers and officials.
Sheikh Hamad’s arrival came shortly after the departure of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, who had arrived earlier in the day for a tripartite summit with Sleiman.
Sleiman, Sheikh Hamad, and the accompanying delegations held talks at Baabda Palace before the dinner.
“We understand the sensitivity of this moment that accompanies our visit to Lebanon, as the clouds mount, and we pray to God they will clear peacefully,” said the emir during dinner.
Reports about a possible indictment by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) of Hizbullah members in the assassination of late Premier Rafik Hariri have raised concerns over renewed strife in the country. Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah recently predicted that members of his party would be charged with Hariri’s killing, and rejected any attempt to target the resistance.
At Baabda Palace, the emir stressed that Qatar’s policy would always involve a quest for achieving peace in Lebanon.
For his part, Sleiman touched on the “close ties” that bind Qatar and Lebanon, noting that Qatar had brokered the 2008 Doha Accord, which rescued Lebanon from several weeks of civil strife.
Sleiman said he and his guest had reviewed several items prior to the dinner, such as Sheikh Hamad’s “firm commitment to enhancing the basis of national consensus in Lebanon, as cemented in the Taif Accord and reinforced in the Doha agreement.”
The Lebanese president said he discussed with Sheikh Hamad the Qatari contribution to reconstruction efforts that followed Israel’s July 2006 summer war against Lebanon
He thanked the emir for his country’s effective support for Lebanon in the international arena, “and especially in the face of the Israeli enemy, which does not hesitate to threaten Lebanon and try to instigate tensions among its people.”
On Saturday, Sleiman will accompany Sheikh Hamad to the south, where the two are expected to visit a number of villages that benefited from Qatar’s reconstruction aid.
The emir will also attend a lunch at Berri’s residence in Beirut and on Sunday, he is scheduled to attend official ceremonies marking Army Day in Fayyadieh.
© Copyright The Daily Star 2010.
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