HIBAPRESS – Agencies
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday that Tehran's ambassador in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, will continue his work, in contradiction to orders issued by the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs last week for him to leave.
The Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced last week the withdrawal of the accreditation of Iranian Ambassador Mohammad Reza Shibani, stating that he had become an undesirable person and requesting that he leave by last Sunday, March 29th.
An Iranian diplomatic source revealed on Sunday that the Iranian ambassador will not leave the country after the deadline set by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry for him to leave expires, in response to the wishes of Hezbollah and the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri.
According to what the source told Agence France-Presse, Shibani will remain in Lebanon after the deadline granted to him by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry to leave the country expired on Sunday following the withdrawal of its approval of his accreditation.
The source said that "the ambassador will not leave Lebanon in response to the wishes of the President (of Parliament) Nabih Berri and Hezbollah," which had called on the Lebanese authorities to "immediately retract" the withdrawal of Shibani's accreditation.
