TEHRAN: Iranian President Mohamed Khatami warned in a meeting with visiting Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt yesterday that Lebanon was “vulnerable” and risked civil war, the Isna news agency reported.

“The possibility exists of an aggravation of divisions which could tranform into a civil war,” Khatami was quoted as telling Jumblatt, a leading figure in the Lebanese opposition and the campaign to end Syria’s military and political dominance of the country.

Iran is a key backer of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Syria’s closest ally in the region. The Islamic republic has been vigorously opposing international pressure on Damascus.

Khatami said that forthcoming elections in Lebanon “must not lead to differences between the influential groups”, and also warned that “instability in Syria would be a catastrophe for the region and have harmful effects on Lebanon.”

Jumblatt was also told by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi that “the US is seeking to create a crisis in Lebanon to reap benefits, while the problems in Lebanon should be solved by the Lebanese themselves.”  –  AFP