Sistani Receives Berri, Hailing Sacrifices of Iraqi People

Najaf, INA-

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani received before noon on Monday Nabih Berri, the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon and the accompanying delegation.

Berri congratulated Sistani for the victories Iraqis achieved in their fight against Daish and their success in liberating their soil from this terrorist organization's control.

Sistani thanked Berri for his congratulations, pointing out the great sacrifices made by the Iraqi people before achieving this historic victory. He also emphasized the importance of strengthening relations between the two brotherly countries, Iraq and Lebanon, in every field.

Sistani stressed too the importance that all should work together in order to establish the values of peaceful coexistence that is based on conserving the rights and mutual respect among different religious and ethnic components in our region so as to provide security, stability, progress and prosperity for their peoples.

Later, Berri expressed in a press conference after the meeting that he was greatly honoured by seeing Sistani and congratulating him on the victory achieved over terrorism.

Berri said: "Sistani, in his wise authority, played the greatest role in defending Iraq through his Fatwa that mobilized thousands of people to join hands with the security forces and fight terrorism."

Mr. Berri added that 'Sistani is a fighter for the cause of Iraq unity, progress and defeating corruption.'

'al-Sayyid Sistani' Berri continued, 'upholds that Iraq should fulfil its regional role, and he is no less keen towards Lebanon than he is towards Iraq. We discussed also a number of other issues.'