In a joint statement issued by Iran and Lebanon, visiting Parliament Speaker of Iran Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel and his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, stressed the need and importance of protecting the Middle East region against Israels WMDs, IRNA reported Sunday.

The statement urged the international community to force the "Zionist" regime to get rid of its weapons of mass destruction.

However, the two officials stressed the legitimate right of countries to have access to peaceful nuclear technology and the Lebanese side expressed support for Irans right under the Non Proliferation Treaty to acquire nuclear technology.

The statement also called for supporting the Lebanese resistance against the Israeli occupation and its hidden agenda regarding Lebanons water resources and territory.

Among other issues the two sides pointed out in the statement were, the importance of further consolidation of Iran-Lebanon ties, the two sides common stances vis--vis regional and international issues, particularly Palestine, Israels continuous crimes against the Palestinians, non-interference of foreign countries in the domestic affairs of Arab states, the Palestinian refugees right to return to their homeland, and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Last week, Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hizbollah, the Palestinian resistance movement, called on the international community to support the Palestinian nation.