Malawi Opens Consulate General in Laayoune

Morocco's Foreign Ministe and his Malawian counterpart inaugurate Malawi’s consulate general in Laayoune. MAP
Morocco's Foreign Ministe and his Malawian counterpart inaugurate Malawi’s consulate general in Laayoune. MAP
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Malawi Opens Consulate General in Laayoune

Morocco's Foreign Ministe and his Malawian counterpart inaugurate Malawi’s consulate general in Laayoune. MAP
Morocco's Foreign Ministe and his Malawian counterpart inaugurate Malawi’s consulate general in Laayoune. MAP

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and his Malawian counterpart, Eisenhower Nduwa Mkaka, inaugurated on Thursday Malawi’s consulate general in Laayoune, the largest city in Western Sahara.

Mkaka, who held talks with Bourita in Rabat Tuesday, also announced his country’s decision to open an embassy in the Moroccan capital.

Mkaka reaffirmed his country’s strong and steadfast support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and its territorial integrity.

More than twenty countries have so far opened diplomatic representations in the Moroccan Sahara.



Head of Iran Top Security Body Heads to Iraq, Lebanon

FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa
FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa
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Head of Iran Top Security Body Heads to Iraq, Lebanon

FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa
FILED - 06 February 2009, Bavaria, Munich: Ali Larijani, then chairman of the Iranian parliament, speaks at the 45th Munich Security Conference in Munich. Photo: Andreas Gebert/dpa

The head of Iran's top security body, Ali Larijani, will visit Iraq on Monday before heading to Lebanon, where the government has approved a plan to disarm Tehran's ally Hezbollah, state media said.

"Ali Larijani departs today (Monday) for Iraq and then Lebanon on a three-day visit, his first foreign trip since taking office last week," state television reported.

Larijani will sign a bilateral security agreement in Iraq before heading to Lebanon, where he will meet senior Lebanese officials and figures, AFP said.

His trip to Lebanon comes after Tehran expressed strong opposition to a Lebanese government plan to disarm Hezbollah, a stance condemned by Beirut as a "flagrant and unacceptable interference".

"Our cooperation with the Lebanese government is long and deep. We consult on various regional issues. In this particular context, we are talking to Lebanese officials and influential figures in Lebanon," Larijani told state TV before departing.

"In Lebanon, our positions are already clear. Lebanese national unity is important and must be preserved in all circumstances. Lebanon's independence is still important to us and we will contribute to it."

On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Larijani's trip "aims to contribute to the maintenance of peace in the Middle East region".

He said that Iran recognized Lebanon's "right to defend itself against the aggression of the Zionist regime (Israel)," adding that this would be "impossible without military capabilities and weapons".

On Saturday, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Iran's supreme leader, described the plan to disarm Hezbollah as compliance "to the will of the United States and Israel".

The disarmament push followed last year's war between Israel and Hezbollah, which left the group, once a powerful political and military force, weakened.