The Religious Authority, Sayyed Muhammad Hussein Fadlullah, received for an hour, Geir Pederson, the Lebanon representative of the UN Secretary General, who congratulated His Eminence for being safe after his house in Haret Hreik was destroyed and expressed his concern about his health. This meeting was an occasion to discuss the Lebanese situation in details following the Israeli aggressive war on Lebanon and the consequences that followed the UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

His Eminence pointed out that America is involving Lebanon in its projects, and making Lebanon a court for regional and international struggles. He also hoped that the initiative of Speaker Nabih Berri would lead to a kind of a political calming.

Furthermore, His Eminence considered that Resolution 1701 did not reassure the Lebanese that it is capable of protecting Lebanon from the Israeli aggression; although Israel has drawn intense international criticism by continuing its violations of the Lebanese airspace. He added that because of these overflights, the Lebanese are worried that, at any time, Israel may perform any military operation under different pretexts, while, the UNIFIL forces will not be able to confront such aggressions. Consequently, he called for supporting the Lebanese army with military power in order to make it capable of protecting Lebanon.

He added that the UN must be stronger in its positions and decisions in order to defend the oppressed people and implement its resolutions that are violated by Israel. Further, he indicated that the main problem is that America wants to apply its policy in the region and thus undermining the UN’s role. He also declared that the situation in the region will not settle down, whether in Palestine, Afghanistan, or Lebanon as long as Palestine is under the Israeli barbaric attacks.