Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak met with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday to discuss developments in Lebanon's political scene, as tensions escalate over a United Nations tribunal probing the assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri, DPA reported.
Egypt raised concerns during the meeting in Cairo about the possibility of the strain between political powers in Lebanon leading to instability across the Middle East.
A Lebanese government source said that "Hariri's visit to Cairo is part of the premier's efforts to try to ease the tension and avoid any political vacuum which will lead the country to the unknown."
Tensions have risen in Lebanon after the radical Shiite movement Hezbollah threatened a new round of violence over the UN tribunal's investigation into the 2005 assassination, given reports that the court plans to indict Hezbollah members for the bombing.
Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday that his party has "all the proof that confirms that the UN-backed probe is politicized."
Nasrallah charged that the international community is "keeping Lebanon busy with the tribunal, Iran with sanctions, Syria with pressures, Sudan with problems, as nobody knows anything about Egypt's fate."
Hariri and Mubarak on Monday also discussed the Middle East peace process, including Arab demands that Israel halt settlement construction in the West Bank and last week's meeting of the Arab League in Libya.
Hariri's visit to Cairo comes two days ahead of a two-day visit by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon.
Iran lends extensive financial and military support to Hezbollah, which forms the parliamentary opposition to the government and is a strong militant presence in the country - especially along the southern border with Israel.