NNA - UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Derek Plumbly, said the group has no information about any plan to transfer Syria's chemical weapons to be buried in Lebanon, following his meeting with outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail Tuesday.



"I read the news and watched on TV just recently talks on the chemical issue and the possibility to transfer chemical wastes into Lebanon. The United Nations does not know about any plan in that respect," Plumbly told reporters.



"The meeting with PM Mikati was good. We discussed the situation in Lebanon, especially in Tripoli. I expressed fear of seeing violence taking place again in the city," he said, lauding the efforts by military and security forces to restore calm to the battered city.



Plumbly maintained that all sides in Lebanon must opt for self-restraint and act in favor of the nation's best interest. "Accordingly, I reiterated the UN support for the calls leveled by the President of the Republic, Michel Sleiman, and other leaderships, to respect the state institutions and protect Lebanon from the repercussions of the Syrian crisis, through the dissociation policy and Baabda Declaration, as well as through the formation of an efficient government and the resumption of national dialogue."



Mikati separately met with Russian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Zasypkin, over the Lebanese-Russian bilateral ties and the latest developments in the region.



He later met with the Ambassador of Sudan, Hassan Ahmed Mohammad, with talks touching on reactivating a memo on direct flights between Beirut and Khartoum.



Caretaker Minister of Social Affairs, Wael Abu Faour, had also been to the Grand Serail to discuss with Mikati required funds for the state-owned Habitat institution.



Mikati also received today an invitation to attend the commemoration of the 77th foundation anniversary of Kataeb Party, to be held on November 24th at BIEL.


============R.A.H.