Officials Coordinate Stances to Avoid Tarnishing Lebanon’s Image during Ban’s Visit

Lebanese officials are seeking to coordinate their stances ahead of U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Beirut on Friday to avoid tarnishing Lebanon’s image, informed sources said.

The sources told An Nahar daily on Tuesday that consultations are underway between major political forces led by Hizbullah to agree on the broad Lebanese stance on several controversial issues that could be discussed by Ban and the Lebanese officials.

Such a move is aimed at uniting the Lebanese stance to avoid any repercussions that could weaken Lebanon’s image, they said.

Speaker Nabih Berri’s hints that he would stir the issue of oil exploration with the U.N. chief, in addition to the renewal of the protocol signed between the Lebanese government and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, the situation in southern Lebanon and the repercussions of the Syrian crisis are among the topics under discussion by the Lebanese officials, the sources added.

But al-Liwaa daily quoted sources as saying that Ban will not discuss the renewal of the protocol with the Lebanese officials.

On several occasions, Hizbullah said that the U.N. secretary-general is not welcome in Lebanon.

But his spokesman, Martin Nesirky, told reporters at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Monday that Ban “is of the view, as are many people around the world, that the Lebanese are amongst the most hospitable people you will find anywhere, and he sees no reason for that to be any different on this particular trip.”

Ban arrives in Lebanon on a three-day visit on Friday to meet with President Michel Suleiman, Berri, Premier Najib Miqati and the commander of the U.N. peacekeeping force deployed in the South.

His third visit comes amid concern over the safety of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, which has been the target of several attacks in recent months.