TEHRAN – Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon Ghazanfar Roknabadi has said Lebanon can weather the political crisis facing the country through taking proper and wise decisions.

The Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Friday following the recent political developments in Lebanon which has plunged the country into a serious political turmoil.
On Wednesday, 11 ministers of the opposition March 8 Alliance, whose main parties are Hezbollah, Amal, and the Free Patriotic Movement, quit the Lebanese cabinet over tensions arising from a UN probe into the 2005 assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Hariri, toppling the government of U.S.-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
Following the collapse of Hariri’s government, Lebanon entered a transitional stage as President Michel Suleiman declared the government in caretaker capacity pending the formation of a new government.
Nabih Berri on Thursday announced that consultations on appointing a new prime minister will start on Monday.
Roknabadi urged all Lebanese political groups to maintain their unity, saying again that the Unites States and the Zionist regime are seeking to take advantage of the political crisis in Lebanon.
“The U.S. and the Zionist regime obstructed the Syria-Saudi Arabia initiative (meant to help establish stability in Lebanon) to create an atmosphere of instability and division in Lebanon, and at this stage these are the Lebanese that can get through this critical situation through showing wisdom and making right decisions,” the ambassador noted.
Nabih Berri also thanked Iran for making efforts to bring about integration and unity among the rival Lebanese groups.
Roknabadi also had a separate meeting with the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party of Lebanon, Walid Jumblatt, on Friday.
In the meeting, the Iranian diplomat again emphasized it is necessary that the Lebanese maintain unity to overcome challenges and foil the enemies’ plots aimed at creating rift among the Lebanese.
Walid Jumblatt also called on all the Lebanese political groups to try to find a way out of the current situation through interaction and consultation.