CAIRO
Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Sunday called for the establishment of an Arab strategy for the fight against terrorism and extremism in the region.
"Perils surround the Arab world, which makes it necessary for an Arab strategy to be created to counter all these dangers," Hairir told reporters following a meeting in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi.
"Moderation is the only key to fight all types of extremism," he added.
Hariri, however, equated Iran with militant groups like Daesh and Al-Nusra Front when it came to extremism. Both groups are fighting in Syria, but Daesh has overrun vast territories in both Syria and Iraq.
"Frankly speaking, we have observations when it comes to Iran," Hariri said. "But this does not mean that we are against Iran," he added.
Iran has come under fire from several Arab capitals for trying to influence events in some Arab states, including Lebanon, where the Islamic Republic is reported to be offering heavy support for the Shiite Hezbollah militant group.
Iran is staunchly supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his battle against the armed opposition in the war-torn country.
Hariri, meanwhile, noted that al-Assad cannot not remain in power. Referring to a round of talks between the Syrian regime and the opposition in Geneva in 2012, the former premier said that al-Assad had to step down and allow the transfer of power in his country in line with the outcome of the talks.
