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Turkey's foreign minister to meet Hezbollah in Lebanon

Türkiye Materials 18 January 2011 16:49 (UTC +04:00)
Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday that he would definitely hold talks with representatives of Hezbollah as part of his visit to Lebanon
Turkey's foreign minister to meet Hezbollah in Lebanon

Turkey's foreign minister said on Tuesday that he would definitely hold talks with representatives of Hezbollah as part of his visit to Lebanon, Anadolu Agency reported.

Holding a press conference at Ankara's Esenboga Airport prior to his departure for Lebanon, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey would not let Lebanon be dragged into a crisis, and to that end, it would continue to hold talks without ignoring any of the parties in the country.

Davutoglu said he would have high-level talks with all the relevant parties in Lebanon, including representatives of Hezbollah, adding telephone traffic with France also continued.

"We will definitely hold talks with the Hezbollah. Hezbollah, as a political party and a group with a powerful social support, is one of the main actors in this process," Davutoglu said.

The minister also noted that Turkey would be happy to participate in any international meetings to be held to discuss the situation in Lebanon.

"However, the current regional momentum should continue," he added.

Qatar's Premier & Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassem Bin Jabor al-Thani is expected to accompany Davutoglu during his visit to Lebanon.

Davutoglu and al-Thani are scheduled to meet with Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Premier Saad Hariri as well as leading figures in Lebanese politics.

Lebanon's national unity government has recently collapsed after Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned over a UN-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri.

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