RIYADH, TEHRAN ‘NEAR DEAL’ ON LEBANON

ormer Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said he had reached a “preliminary deal” with Saudi King Abdullah over how to coordinate efforts concerning Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and the region. Rafsanjani, who still occupies a high-ranking post in the Iranian government, made his comments during an interview with Saudi daily Al-Riyadh. Also commenting on the situation in Lebanon, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the situation is gradually stabilising, adding that his country has played a positive role in the Doha accord. “The situation is heading towards more stability in Lebanon after the different political sides reached an agreement in Doha,” Mottaki said during a press conference at the Iranian Embassy in Paris. Concerning Syria, Mottaki said Iran backs Syria’s demand for the return the Golan heights, “which are part of Syria, as should the [occupied] Lebanese Shebaa Farms be liberated.”