(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora called for Muslim unity during separate talks held with Shiite religious figures he visited Monday, including Vice President of the Higher Shiite Council Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, Tyre Mufti Ali al-Amine and Sayyed Ali Fadlallah, the son of late senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah. Qabalan and Siniora called for unity among Muslims and condemned acts that stoke sectarian tensions.Following the meeting, which was held at the council’s headquarters in the Beirut suburb of Sin al-Fil, Qabalan said that Lebanese should “preserve their national unity through cooperation and communication and stay away” from inciting sectarianism.“What is needed is for Lebanese to unite in the face of conspiracy and strife, both of which are threatening their unity and coexistence,” he said.He called on politicians to commit to moderate speech that he said would unite Lebanese, adding that he condemned all calls for intolerance and extremism among Lebanese in general and Muslims in particular.Siniora, who is also the head of the Future Movement parliamentary bloc, said the purpose of the visits was to maintain contact with Shiite figures and hold a discussion centered on Lebanese and Muslim unity.“Each topic we discussed revealed similarities in our positions, beliefs and orientations,” he said, adding that all Muslims should respect each other’s beliefs and rites./129
