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Iran: President Ahamdinejad's trip to Lebanon

Categories: Middle East & North Africa, Iran, Governance, Human Rights, International Relations, Politics, Protest

[1]Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has just concluded a two-day visit to Lebanon [2]. It was his first official since 2005 when he first took office. He held talks with Lebanese officials and visited strongholds of Iran's ally Hezbollah in the capital's southern suburbs and south Lebanon, and received a hero's welcome. Several Iranian bloggers reacted to this trip.

Meybodema has published several photos of Ahmadinejad's visit in Lebanon and quoted [3] [fa] Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, who praised the Islamic Republic and welcomed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The blogger quotes Nasrallah saying that contrary to all propaganda, “Iran is helping the oppressed”.

Sayeh Azadi has republished [4] (see above) a cartoon by leading Iranian cartoonist Nikahang fromĀ  in Roozonline [1] [fa] with theĀ  headline “Ahmadinejad's dreams for Lebanon”.

Z8unak counts some reasons of why Lebanese people welcomed Ahmadinejad. The blogger writes [5] [fa]:

Why you were surprised that Ahmadinejad was greeted so warmly in Lebanon? After 20 years of the Iran-Iraq war, border cities did not get constructed but houses in Lebanon were constructed by our money. Many Iranians can not afford going to a doctor or hospitals and die every day as a result, meanwhile Iran constructs hospitals in Lebanon.

Mollah writes [6]with irony:

Lebanese did not see any bad things from the Iranian government. If we were Lebanese and got the money we would become Islamic Republic's supporters… They say, we don't care that they are in power after a ‘coup’ or that they torture people… just pass the dollars.