Lebanon abstains from Iran sanctions vote in the UN

Lebanon abstains from Iran sanctions vote in the UN

Lebanese cabinet divided between parties allied with West, and those allied with Iran.

June 10, 2010 9:45 by Rasha Reslan

The Lebanese representative to the UN Security council yesterday abstained from voting on the proposal to impose fresh sanctions on Iran in connection with the Islamic Republic’s nuclear development program, the Daily Star reported Thursday. Military and financial sanctions will be imposed on Iran, despite opposition from states including Brazil and Turkey.

Lebanon’s speaker Nabih Berri criticized the West for its double standard with respect to nuclear arsenals in the region, and along with other Lebanese ministers called for the country’s UN representative to vote against Iranian sanctions, the report said.

The decision to abstain from voting reflects the deep division of ideologies between parties that constitute lebanon’s coalition government, the Daily Star said, as MP’s from the March 14 coalition are allied with the US, while the opposition forces parties like Amal and Hizbullah have ties to Iran.

“This issue [Iran’s nuclear program] could be resolved through peaceful means rather than sanctions and this is Lebanon’s position,” Nawaf Salam said, Lebanon’s representative in the UN.