Moqbel to Discuss with Iranian Officials Military Assistance despite Veto
Defense Minister Samir Moqbel is expected to discuss with Iranian officials in Tehran over the weekend a recent pledge to give military assistance to Lebanon to help its fight against extremists.
Moqbel is not entitled to sign any agreement or make any commitment to the Iranian grant, As Safir daily reported on Friday.
His role is limited to informing the Lebanese government about the pledges made by the Iranian officials to take the appropriate action, said the newspaper.
The Iranian grant was announced last month by Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, who was visiting Lebanon.
He did not say what type of military equipment Iran would provide. He told reporters in Beirut that the details would be announced during Moqbel's visit to Tehran.
Iran is the main backer of Hizbullah. The group has thousands of rockets and missiles — many of them from Iran.
Pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat said Thursday that discussions over the Iranian grant have been “frozen” to avoid a rift between cabinet members.
Some Lebanese factions, mainly al-Mustaqbal movement and the March 14 alliance, which are backed by the West, have refused the grant.
Centrist Progressive Socialist Party chief MP Walid Jumblat has expressed reservations on it. And the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance is certainly in favor of it.
The United States has also pressed to “delay” an agreement between Tehran and Beirut, Asharq al-Awsat said.
According to As Safir on Friday, there is a U.S., Israeli and Saudi veto on the Iranian grant to the Lebanese army.
Security Council Resolution 1747 bans the sale and transfer of Iranian weapons outside its territories.
In the past few months, the Lebanese army has been fighting militants near the border with Syria. In early August, extremists from al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group crossed into the northeastern border town of Arsal from Syria, capturing soldiers and policemen. Two of the soldiers have since been beheaded and one has been killed in captivity.
Hizbullah has used the threat posed by the jihadists in Syria to justify sending its members to fight alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.
G.K.
H.K.
17 October 2014, 08:44
33
1 billion dollars yea right. Where is that 1 billion dollars or the 3 billion dollars promised over a year ago. Stop embarrassing yourself dude.
17 October 2014, 08:49
37
أوضح مقبل ردا على سؤال عن الهبة الايرانية أنه سيسافر آخر الاسبوع مع وفد عسكري الى ايران، "وسنرى ما هي المعطيات التي سيقدمونها، وسنرى ايضا اهميتها كي نعود ونعرض الملف على مجلس الوزراء لدرسه".
وعن قرار خارجي بعدم تسليح الجيش، قال: "هذا الكلام غير دقيق. في لبنان الشعب وراء الجيش ويريد ان يكون الجيش قويا ومسلحا، ويريد تقويته. هناك قضايا الهبات وهي متأخرة قليلا، ولكن بدأت هبة المليار تستعمل".
The key words here are "The 1 billion USD grant is now being used"
17 October 2014, 15:34
34
you have been proven to be a propagandist and you have been humiliated into submission yet you continue to distort. Was it not last week that President Hollande said there are no more obstacles regarding the Saudi 3 billion usd arms deal. How can you live with yourself knowing every word that comes out of your mouth is lies and distortion!
17 October 2014, 19:50
01
Was it not few days ago that the cazy army defector boasted of how some of th weapons provided for the army by the Saudi grant ended up a a gift to Nusra?
17 October 2014, 11:45
27
so now iran wants to arm the army as well as its militias in lebanon. what they should do is disarm HA and hand its weapons to the state.
17 October 2014, 14:19
23
another ban, another article, another thread, another day, another year, another century as flamethrower embarks on his illusive quest to earn a gold medal for nonstop posting propaganda
17 October 2014, 15:31
43
poor southern, I really pity people who are so unfortunate and so ignorant.
17 October 2014, 19:05
10
Iran is giving HA state-of-the-art weaponry so why do many believe that it will give the army perimated stuff? Let's take the offer that simple. Then why do we keep forgetting Brazil where in Sao Paolo we have almost 2 M Lebanese? Can't we buy form Brazil? Can't the Lebanese expat communities there help to buy those weapons from Brazil? Come on, now we're tightening the noose on ourselves almost intentionally.
18 October 2014, 13:44
10
Tex, I am real. First our army needs weapons and the list does fit into our requirements. Second, the Syrian regime is a minority one facing untold numbers of fanatics that are coming from all the globe, lest we wish to forget who is financing and arming them too! On the contrary, Iranian weapons given our situation and the Syrian regimes are doing what they're supposed to do. Then I ask, why is Israel so hesitant when it comes to attacking Lebanon? Even little Hamas caused it a lot of pain.
17 October 2014, 19:31
00
Set up an anonymous donations account for the Army, and everyone will help!
17 October 2014, 22:04
01
Security Council Resolution 1747 bans the sale and transfer of Iranian weapons outside its territories.
Enough said...
