Yesterday Lebanon and Iran signed 17 agreements and MOU in the areas of agriculture, communications, energy ( including oil and gas) , environment, handicrafts, health, higher education, information technology , media, tourism and trade.

The visiting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that Tehran is capable of solving the country’s chronic electricity problems.

Ahmadinejad, who held talks yesterday with President Michel Suleiman at Baabda Palace, stressed that Tehran was prepared to improve the volume of trade between Lebanon and Iran.

One of the key agreements was an energy accord between Energy and Water Minister Gebran Bassil and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. Details of the agreement were not disclosed during the signing ceremony, but was last weekend in Tehran to work out the details of the agreement . Bassil also reportedly discussed during his Tehran visit the possibility of signing contracts to build one or two gas-operated power stations. It is not clear why would Iran be involved in such contracts since the country does not manufacture any gas Turbines.

No agreement was signed over military aid to Lebanon.