I believe in stability and unity of Lebanon: Mikati Lebanese PM wants to strengthen ties with Iran and Syria http://tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=237475

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati says he plans to work for the stability and unity of Lebanon and wants to strengthen the country’s ties with Iran and Syria.  Mikati made the remarks in an interview with Nicholas Blanford published on the TIME magazine website on Sunday.TIME: Hariri’s coalition government was toppled when the Hezbollah-led opposition ministers resigned en masse. That has left some Sunnis unhappy that the Shias of Hezbollah brought down a Sunni prime minister and risks aggravating sectarian tensions. Mikati: It’s true (that Hezbollah brought down the Hariri government) but it was purely constitutional. If one third of the ministers resign, the government resigns and that’s what happened. We cannot blame anybody. It’s a game and it applies to everybody. 

TIME: Your critics say that you are Hezbollah’s puppet.Mikati: Najib Mikati is an independent politician. They know my history. I believe in the stability of my country. I believe in unity. We have to look to the well-being of the Lebanese citizens and create prosperity in the country and you can’t create prosperity without stability. TIME: Will you seek to improve Lebanon’s relations with Syria once your government has been formed? Mikati: Definitely. One of my first intentions is to improve relations with Syria. Not just to improve but to maintain good relations with all countries. TIME: With Iran too? Mikati: Definitely, we will have very good relations with Iran too. Why not? As I’m looking to have very good relations with the United States. That’s Lebanon -- we cannot afford not to have good friends all over the world.