Maliki: Lebanese will overcome sedition

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki expressed confidence on Saturday that the Lebanese are able to foil the plans that aim at spreading sedition and strife among them. “The Lebanese people are able to overcome the challenges and foil plans to create discord and conflicts among them,” al-Maliki said in a letter sent to his Lebanese counterpart Najib Miqati. According to al-Maliki’s press office the letter tackled the latest developments in the region and the challenges confronting Lebanon. The premier offered his condolences over the death of 3 Lebanese pilgrims in Iraq. On Wednesday, a roadside bomb exploded near a bus carrying Lebanese Shiite pilgrims in the Khamsat Kilo area in Iraq, killing three and wounding at least 10 others. Iraq is home to some of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, to which hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock each year. Pilgrims are periodically attacked, often with bombs. The statement pointed out that al-Maliki also contacted by telephone Speaker Nabih Berri.