Lebanon row over Ahmadinejad visit - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Lebanon row over Ahmadinejad visit - Middle East - Al Jazeera English

Ahmadinejad's visit comes amid speculations that Hezbollah might be indicted in Hariri's assassination case [AFP]

Lebanon’s largest parliamentary bloc has expressed concerns at a planned visit of the Iranian president to the country on October 13.

In a statement issued on Friday, the March 14 alliance described Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's upcoming visit as a "provocation."

The Iranian president is scheduled to hold talks with his counterpart, Michel Sleiman, who invited him, as well as Prime Minister Saad Hariri and parliament speaker Nabih Berri.

Ahmadinejad is also due to meet with Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Shia group Hezbollah, a key ally whose powerful party is widely considered a proxy of Iran.

The Iranian president is expected to tour the predominantly Shia southern Lebanon.

Message to Israel

The leaders of the March 14 coalition believe that Iran is using Lebanon in its confrontation with the West and Israel, and that Ahmadinejad’s visit is meant to a message to Israel.

"The message is that Iran is at the border with Israel," said Fares Souaid, coordinator of the March 14 alliance.

read more... Lebanon row over Ahmadinejad visit - Middle East - Al Jazeera English