BEIRUT.-
Greek President of the Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos said he was certain that his visit to Lebanon would be decisive in strengthening Greek-Lebanese bilateral ties, especially in the economic sector and investments. It was the first such visit by a Greek head of State in 30 years. Stephanopoulos said Friday that he hoped peace would prevail in the Middle East and the Palestinian issue would be settled based on the implementation of UN resolutions and international law.

He was speaking during a visit to Balamand University in the northern district of Koura, accompanied by a 20-member high-ranking delegation. Stephanopoulos, who was accorded a warm welcome at the university, appealed to “those who are in a position to implement the provisions of justice to forget their personal and private interests in many cases and apply the law in various problems.”

Replying to a welcoming speech from the university’s president, Elie Salem, Stephanopoulos said:
“I believe that the main goal of all nations should be to implement the principles of international law, and to seek a solution to the Palestine problem based on these principles. We are not on the side of Israel, nor on the side of Palestine. We support the implementation of UN resolutions and international law. We feel deep pain and grief when we see that none of the major powers care about implementing these resolutions.”